Mustang Flash Fiction

Mustang Flash Fiction An anthology of fiction from Homestead High School 2016

MUSTANG FLASH FICTION An anthology of fiction from Homestead High School 2016

special thanks to emer martin and adrian mcmahon

table of contents

acknowledgements // emer martin // 22 a resentment // john andrews // 22 raging sunsets // batool al-jabiry // 22 lesson learned // juan aldaco // 22 b the tough decision // amit ben simhon // 24 fear is‌ // ryan belfor // 22 the car // koosha beck // 22 a new companion // sanchita biswas // 24 stepping into a new world // helen bond // 24 fear // hash bengali // 24 reading shakespeare // theo bride // 24 c feelings // amanda cardenas // 24 some people just don’t want to be found // samantha cardenas // 24 7

fear drowns your spirit // khari crawford // 24 a chance to save the world // sarah chan // 24 larry // johnnie chow // 22 swim to win // denise cerna // 24 she’s dead // emilie chartier // 24 freedom from the worst job ever // maryam chenna // 24 brooklyn blues // anisha chandra // 24 flashbacks // niv cohen // 24 school is like a jail // sarah correll // 24 d before he became a pro // raine deleon // 24 a ball of yarn // tyler yoshio deterring // 24 the tracks // maya dhar // 24 e boom! // maor elmalem // 24 f in two weeks // samuel s. fayard // 24 the past is clear // andrew frakes // 24 clutch time // timothy fu // 24 christopher // katie fussell // 24 g him // anonymous // 24 h 8

my statue // matthew sarmiento kanashiro // 24 cherish things while you can // makayla harding // 24 college // andrew hou // 24 j new friends // lawrence jing // 24 k the cookie shop // kai // 22 another wake up call // lukas kunjan // 24 fitz // karthik kalyanasundaram // 24 a promise // lauren kane // 24 eternity // austin kim // 24 outbreak // cory clayton kountz // 24 the all-knowing // varun kiragi // 24 l yesterday // isabelle law // 24 obstacles // casey latini // 24 heroes without capes // emily leyfer // 24 the drawing // hannah liao // 24 another normal high school morning // conner // 24 swinging the puck of escape // angie liu // 24 tonight was different // daniel changmin lee // 22 i remember // seungjae lee // 24 what do you know? // herman lin // 22 m 9

my dog // kyle markley // 24 the great bear-hound sif // michael ma // 22 remember the past? // storm martin // 24 buzzer beater // seth allen markley // 24 math test // ankit maurya // 24 violins // julian mendel // 24 shakespeare // andy mezei // 22 my father’s importance // geetarth // 24 n fred // kayan naderi // 24 the lock // rueben narad // 24 the juggler // erica nguyen // 24 the cuckoo clock // amin najmi // 24 silence of the dark // newsha nikfarjam // 24 gas on the pedal // omer nisenbaum // 24 p the book // joel palma martinez // 24 lego // timesh patel // 24 the championship // aravind patnam // 24 my best friend forever? // vanessa paz // 24 time will never be on our side // cassandra phan // 22 safe, but not for long // christopher phan // 24 what happened to kit de la cruz? // alfonso pitco // 24 the hunt // eden pollitt // 24 q 10

painting failure // waverly qiu // 24 r the past is a shadow // jay rainton // 22 the roller coaster // christopher reed // 24 a kid with big dreams // jose rios // 22 the patent // david root // 24 an eagle in the sky // pamela robles // 24 jack // gabriel rodriguez // 24 home smells like apple pies // jiliane saputra // 24 s step by step // kevin salesman // 24 tryouts // matthew schurz // 22 the unwritten book // david shepard // 24 spiders are scary // elnaz shehni // 22 crash // vicky shinkawa // 24 plastic furniture // isabel serrato // 24 our main attraction // erin slaney // 24 a mask // edina starcevic // 24 t smile for the camera // claire tang // 22 seconds // ken tint // 24 warped mirrors // jillian trinh // 24 late night thoughts // erin tsai // 24 that gave you cancer? let’s hope you die from it. // james tripp // 24 11

i remember // a’gust toussaint // 22 v you never know // tyler vu // 24 combine weekend // maulin vajir // 22 w what is the future? // alexandria wang // 24 in the morning // helen wang // 24 tasteless // michael wang // 24 last thread // kaitlyn williams // 24 safe haven // nyah willett // 24 x a lonely world // sylvie xu // 24 y new school // pasqualle yamakawa // 24 hurts like heaven // christine yang // 24 muddy snow // kai yeung // 22 z math class // yuval zach // 24 school and struggles // scott zhang // 24 copper // tori zielinski // 24 summer class // raymond zhou // 24 the last climb // itamar zohar // 24 12

cover and interior design by lisie sabbag, lisiesabbag.com fonts used are peach milk, avenir next, and quartz images covered by general creative commons license.

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A good short-short is short but not small, light but not slight. – Ku Ling

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introduction

Flash Fiction is very suited to technology. In today’s world, of tweets and posts, it can be hard to get attention for long works, but people can read brilliant flash fiction off their devices with ease. This book is an anthology of Flash Fiction. We are delighted to give you a glimpse into the talent and abilities of the high school English students of Homestead High School, Cupertino, California.

Together, the teacher Adrian McMahon, and myself as a student teacher and professional writer, led all the students of his English classes through the process of creating Flash Fiction. These classes were a range of grades from freshmen to seniors.

We focused on developing voice. Students have a voice as unique as their fingerprint. Traditional education focuses on the logical left side of the brain. However, to be successful in creating original work and accessing your authentic voice, you need to learn to use both sides of your brain. We used techniques to unlock their creativity so they could write freely.

Every student can write original work. The primary activity was doing their own writing and learning how to unleash and access their individual voice. The second level of activity involved reading and giving constructive criticism on their peers’ writing. The third level was focused on editing their work and publishing it online.

It was important to us to demonstrate to the students that culture is not something to be passively ingested; they too can create culture. Elise Sabbag from issuu publications, Palo Alto acted as editor and book designer. We wanted to bring someone from the professional publishing world into the classroom to demonstrate to the students how to get their work out to an audience.

Though the work is available for all to enjoy free of charge, the individual pieces are copyrighted by their authors and only available for use with permission of the individual student author. We hope you enjoy the wide range of Flash Fiction stories. The students of Homestead High School have unique voices and they should be heard.

Emer Martin Cupertino, May 2016

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18

A

resentment // john andrews // 22 raging sunsets // batool al-jabiry // 22 lesson learned // juan aldaco // 22

resentment john andrews

It was a long and brutal day at school. Feeling sick from hearing about vacuous topics such as grades, celebrities, and typical highschool drama, I realized that the time has come for me to disrupt this repetitive, meaningless cycle of my education.

I decided that I would need to make a huge scene to show everybody how much I hate being stuck here. So I thought it would be a great idea to protest the school by running into the wall as fast as I could and kicking it as hard as possible, to really convey my resentment.

Unfortunately, though, my idea did not go as planned. I started racing toward the dull, gray wall, but by the time I saw the wet, dripping paint covering the wall, I found that I would not be able to stop myself in time.

I slammed my leg against the wall, only to fall backwards and see my paint-splattered jeans. Seconds later, every student in the school saw my blunder, laughing and yelling things like “HAHA! What an idiot!” And “I’ve seen lots of stupid people before at this school, but this takes the cake!”.

But they are the only real fools, as they will never understand that, in fact, their comments verified that I accomplished my goal.

John Andrews is a senior at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is getting accepted into UC Berkeley. His favorite thing to do is to learn advanced mathematics. He believes that his hard work will pay off in the end. One day he hopes to solve mathematics problems that were previously thought to be impossible.

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raging sunsets batool al-jabiry

The warm wind tousled my hair gently. I breathed in the welcoming air as I watched the fiery sun take a slow exit. The day was reaching an end and that meant less time to hide. I could only be gone for so long. The mountain top was starting to get uncomfortable and it hurt to sit, but the calming waters urged me to stay. Swishhhhh swishhhhhh. Everything was so calm and serene, yet it was really far from it.The wind was picking up and getting cooler and it was growing darker. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood and twisted my fingers nervously. It was almost too late. Almost. My brain urged me to think, to come up with a way out, but I was too foolish. He’ll find you anywhere, no matter where you go.

I shut my eyes hard and clenched my fists tight. I tried to focus on breathing but my heart pace was quickening, the loud thumping sounding in my ears. The cruel sound of gravel crunching broke me from my trance. I whipped around to see him standing just above me on the mountain ledge.

His face was covered by his long hair but it didn’t matter, I had already memorized the expression of his malicious face. A sob escaped my lips, my shoulders shuddering violently. I couldn’t form words, my feet numb, frozen in one place. I could almost see the whisper of his vile smirk. He was creeping towards me without moving, but still growing closer and closer. I begged my feet to move but I was paralyzed. My brain was mush and my throat constricted, it was becoming hard to breathe. I heard his voice, but his words were incoherent to me. His presence was too close, too near, too

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much. The danger I was going to face struck me like lightning. I had to act fast. His face was inches away from mine and I could see every curve and feature etched into his face. His hand whipped out towards me and in that moment, my feet left the gravel ledge of the mountain top. Cool rushing air whipped around me, drowning my lungs. I flinched and thrashed vigorously. I hit the surface with rock-hard force, the water pounded against me forcefully and my body grew numb. I willed my arms to move but I was too senseless. My lungs burned and ached for air. I couldn’t bear the pain any longer, it was too much, too fast. At that instant a sharp burning came from my scalp. I screamed but no sound came out. The light was getting closer and closer and my head broke the surface of the water. Air rushed into my lungs too quickly, scorching them. I choked violently and gasped loudly. I blinked rapidly, looking at my surroundings. I was back on the ledge, the tiny gravel making indents on my palm. My swift eyes caught sight of a dark shadow. I turned my head slowly, facing its direction. My breathing became more shallow and my blood was pumping fiercely in my veins. The shadow took two steps towards me and my breath hitched. My eyes moved up slowly‌.and locked sight with cold, steel grey ones.

Batool Al-Jabiry is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is being happy with all of her teachers. Her favorite thing to do is watch sunsets and listen to music. She believes in equality because at the end of the day we are all the same no matter what our skin color, race, or religion is. One day she will be a successful surgeon and help save lives.

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lesson learned juan aldaco

It was getting dark and Brad knew he would have to go home eventually.

He had just had a fight with his parents that morning and was beginning to wonder why he didn’t just sleepover at a friends house, that way he wouldn’t have to see his dad.He asks his friend if he could sleepover and after constant pestering and begging, his friend finally said yes. So he went to his friend’s house and slept.The next morning on his way to school he thought about the fight he had with his parents. Why were they so mad when he told them he was going to drop out of school? Were they mad because he told them he was dropping out or were they mad about something else?As he walked he thought about the fight less and less but when he got to school things got worse.He had gotten detention for something he had done the week before and they figured out who had done it. As he walked he thought life couldn’t get any worse. He didn’t know it but he was wrong. His life could get worse as he finds out.But later that day he saw his friends were acting strange and after asking them some questions, he conformed his suspicions that his friends were high from smoking pot which they had bought during lunch.They asked him if he wanted any Brad having never tried any before but seeing ow e friends were acting though it be that bad.when he got passed the joint he heard someone yelling “got you!” Brad tried to run but but the man had gotten him before he could stand up. As this unfolded he thought i should ad just gone straight home.

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The man turned out to be a cop and they weren’t very lucky since they have found with marijuana and a good of amount of it they were going to spent the night in jail.While in the jail cell with his friends all he could think of was damn i gotta find some better friends as his current friends are the reason why he was in jail.The next morning he was to see a judge.It was early when he was woken up by the guard and was taken to the court house he met with his friends who like him were nerves since they have found together they were tried together as they approached the judge they knew they would not get off easy.They were right becuase at the end of the trial they were sentenced to seven month sentence in county and they would stay in there jail cell for the reaminder of the night they would travel to county the following morning.As the night went on he kepted on thinking how every thing was going bad for them has done so the quickly.

They were awaken by the cell guard and taken to the bus which will take them to county as they got on the bus they saw the people going with them and they knew they didnt belong thay sat down on the bus and after what seemed like hours they fanilly arrived and they were let to the inside of the gates all they could hear shoutig by the fellow inmates mainly threats to them they fanilly got inside of the jail where they saw rows of cells. They were given there clothe and and there cell number luckly they were cellmates with each other.It was their first day out and they were getting food when some other inmates went toward them and ask for their food Brad what would happen if he gave then his food.So instead of giving him his food he started a fight with one of the imates by the time the guards have come there were multilpe fight they broke them up and had sent Brad to solitary comfinement Brad knew he would be out soon But what about the he fought what he do.

When Brad got out of the solitary confinement he found himself again looking at the person he had punched but this time he was with more people Brad knew what was happening but to his surprise.They asked if if he want to join their own gang Brad said yes a course and joined them. Brad knew at this moment that he was safe.

Juan aldaco is a freshman. His greatest achievement is finding money.

His favorite thing to do is have money. He believes in all people being equal.

One day he will have a lot of money.

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the tough decision // amit ben simhon // 24 fear is‌ // ryan belfor // 22 the car // koosha beck // 22 a new companion // sanchita biswas // 24 stepping into a new world // helen bond // 24 fear // hash bengali // 24 reading shakespeare // theo bride // 24

b

the tough decision amit ben simhon

A few miniscule drops of sweat are dripping through my hair and onto my red plumpy face. My back is severely aching from all of the books I have to carry as I walk clumsily back home. And then I wonder why my back always hurts. I begin to think that I don’t even have any money to go the movies on Saturday with the girl that I just asked out from class. I to realize that the only reason I am going to college is because I want to be rich and not have to worry about my financial situation. I drop my favorite water bottle and it rolls into the paved street. I go to pick it up.

Boom! I get dropped to the floor, out of nowhere! It was almost as if I got hit by a car. The pain I felt was indescribable. Nothing like I have ever felt. It was in fact, a car. Though, it wasn’t just any car, it was a Lamborghini Aventador. The driver comes running out of his car, panicking and confused. It was as if he felt like it was his fault. He tells me he is sorry at least a hundred times and constantly asks if I’m ok.

As I grab my bleeding head, I realize that I could make a lot of money off this guy if I sue him and win. He is most likely rich because he does have a $400,000 car. I ask myself, “Is it worth it?” I think to myself, ‘he is obviously very nice, but is it worth it to somewhat rob him of his money?’ A crucial decision I would have to make. On one hand, I want to be rich and I could achieve that goal if I win the lawsuit, but on the other hand, this guy is very

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nice and it would probably take a while to get my money.

I decide to tell him that my neck and back hurt. He offers to take me to the hospital, but I respectfully decline as I think of all of the large medical bills I would have to pay. I grab my water bottle and pick up my backpack.

I ask him to give me his license so I could take a picture of it. He declines.

Then, I see him run back to his car and drive away. Luckily, I had my phone out to take a picture of his car and, I even get his license plate number. I ask myself, should I spend my time suing this guy to try and become rich? Or should I just keep going as I was before and get a college degree.

Juan aldaco is a freshman. His greatest achievement is finding money.

His favorite thing to do is have money. He believes in all people being equal.

One day he will have a lot of money.

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fear is... ryan belfor

Fear. Fear is something no one wants to encounter. Fear is being home alone at night and hearing a knock at the door. Fear, the thing you can’t remove. It’s like death, it can’t be stopped. Those who can overcome this disease, really don’t, they merely don’t encounter it again, fear always exists. It’s only human. The knock at the door, your heart beating in your head.

You step closer to the window. They knock again. Sprinting to the phone and the door opens. Stopping in your tracks you fear whats next to come.

They enter, your heart beating so loud you can’t hear yourself think. Blood pulsing through your veins. The man steps closer and reaches his arm out.

You scream and wake up in bed, sweaty, heart beating, it was just a dream yet you’re still scared, that fear still with you.

Ryan Belfor is a 14 year old. His greatest achievement so far is learning to fly, a plane.

His favourite thing to do is sailing and flying. He believes in experiencing anything he can because “the only source of knowledge is experience.” One day he will travel the world.

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the car koosha beyk

The future is a heavily tinted glass window. As I stared at it from afar I could only see my reflection staring back, a frowning face with squinted eyes. I stepped forward, toward the window of the car, hoping to see inside of it. But whenever I tried to make out what was behind the window, I only became more confused. I could see nothing at all past the window and inside the car. I walked faster toward the car, and finally caught a glimpse of movement. It looked like a giant blob, pulsating slowly behind the glass.

I stopped in awe, my heart pounding in my chest. I suddenly ran toward the car, needing to see my future behind the window. But I had only taken a few steps when the car sped off in the opposite direction, leaving me to wonder about my future.

I followed the car as it moved away from me. At first, I could barely see the top of the black car over the other traffic, but soon it moved outside my range of sight. I strained my eyes, trying to locate which street it took a right turn at. But the street was too far away, and my eyes stung ferociously the more I tried to keep pace with the vehicle. I looked away and blinked quickly to reduce the strain on my eyes, and my eyes started watering. Dejected, I walked over to a dark blue, rusty bench and sat down.

Even though I had stopped to sit down, nothing around me ceased to move. The motion on every side of me continued rapidly and randomly,

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as if I were at the center of a whirlpool. People rushed to the crosswalk, eagerly waiting to cross the street. Families pushed their babies in strollers, and the wails of the crying children penetrated the noisy city. Cars sped past going in both directions, and the glare of reflected light from metal reached my eyes.

I slowly pushed myself up from the bench. I realized and accepted the present for what it was. The car with the tinted windows had probably gone far away, and the thought of the future had disappeared.

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Koosha Beyk is a senior at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is joining marching band and performing in Indianapolis. His favorite thing to do is bike to the park and play basketball with friends. He believes that life should be filled with happiness because it gives people a reason to wake up every day. One day he will finish his Cornell notes before the day they are due.

a new companion

sanchita biswas

He was my only friend. I loved the routine moments in our days. I loved that he ate breakfast with me and gave me his leftover bacon. I loved that he always gave me a loving scratch and rub on the nose before he left for work. I loved my bed at the foot of his cot and falling asleep to the rhythm of his snores. I loved the warm feeling bursting in my chest that came with seeing him.

When my friend came home with that woman, things started to change.

She always sneezed when I came to greet her. She refused to touch me.

She ate dinner with my friend, and I ate out in the dim hall, a safe distance from them. My bed was moved to join my bowl in the hall. Nights seemed eerie without his snores. I no longer received the loving scratches and rubs.

One day, the woman and my owner came home. For the first time, the woman approached me. Behind her was a little boy. He held the woman’s hand. As soon as he spotted me, he let go and ran towards me. He giggled, cocked his head, and peered at me. Warily, I sniffed him. He slowly reached out his hand and touched the back of my neck. He let out another giggle, a quiet, sweet noise, and scratched my nose. The sound stirred something in my heart and a familiar warmth flooded through my chest.

Sanchita Biswas is a freshman at Homestead High school. Her greatest achievements so far are her paintings. Her favorite things to do include biking, painting, reading, and listening to music. She believes that life is always better when dogs are around. One day she plans to have a cockatoo, six dogs, and exactly fourteen thousand pet rats.

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stepping into a new world helen bond

I remember walking down the path in utter awe. My mind felt disconnected from my body, and my arms and hands suddenly looked strange and unfamiliar to me. It was as if I had stepped into a new world, despite being only 20 minutes away from home. The air was crisp and cool, and with each footstep my sister and I ventured deeper into the valley. I hated the cold, but the breeze felt surprisingly soothing against my face. The redwood trees loomed over us like giant guards protecting a palace, standing firm and tall against the mountain. As I gazed upon the trees toward the sky, I felt like the tiniest and most insignificant creature in the world. All of my problems seemed microscopic, and a sense of utter peace and tranquility washed over me and filled me with a newfound hope towards the world.

Helen Bond is a soon-to-be high school graduate. Her greatest achievement so far is painting for her friends and family. Her favorite thing to do is be in nature. She believes that family is the most precious aspect in life. One day, she will find out the reason to why we are living in this world.

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fear yash bengali

Fear is like a haunted house. As you enter, the sounds of the organ sends chills down your spine. You feel a bead of sweat trickle down your neck, ever so slowly. The lightning crackles and you jump, startled. You wish you never entered, but it is too late now. Every corner you turn, something jumps at you. Or camouflaged in the dark, you never see it coming till it is too late. One’s deepest fears start coming to life in front of their face.

Driving them mad. You start running, but there is no where to go. And as fast as it approached, it vanishes, waiting for the next time. However, there is one less corner to turn, for one more fear has been conquered.

Yash Bengali is a Freshman attending Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is actually writing a piece of writing without feeling bad about it. My favorite thing to do is code. He believes that everyone is smart and equal because there is no such thing as “dumb.� Some just take longer than others to understand.

One day he will work at google.

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reading shakespeare

theo bride

One day after school, I realized that I had a test on a Shakespeare play the next day. I hated Shakespeare, I thought that he was as useless as a chocolate tea cup. I left my book at school, so I would have to use my computer. The thing is that I hadn’t even started reading the play, so I read Romeo and Juliet from the start. It took me a couple of hours, and often I had to turn off my computer because it was making too much noise and my parents would wake up, and if they saw me reading late at night then they would be really mad. All throughout the night, I kept reading other Shakespeare plays like Macbeth and Henry IV. The next day, I was really, really tired but I still took the test and felt like I aced it. Then, the teacher handed them out and I got a/an...

Theo Bride is a freshman at Homestead High School, CA USA. His greatest achievement is to make the javy soccer team. His favorite thing to do is play soccer and video games. He believes in world peace. One day he will stay at home for vacation.

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feelings // amanda cardenas // 24 some people just don’t want to be found // samantha cardenas // 24 fear drowns your spirit // khari crawford // 24 larry // johnnie chow // 24 a chance to save the world // sarah chan // 24 swim to win // denise cerna // 24 she’s dead // emilie chartier // 24 freedom from the worst job ever // maryam chenna // 24 brooklyn blues // anisha chandra // 24 flashbacks // niv cohen // 24 school is like a jail // sarah correll // 24

C

feelings

amanda cardenas

Reading Shakespeare’s plays feels like a carousel that won’t stop spinning.

Reading his plays is like the brain is running out of common sense trying to focus on the logical sections in the play.It makes the readers feel like they want to just throw the book to the other side of the room because of fustration. But at the same time they want to keep on reading because they want to know what will happen next in the play. The characters are always having problems. I know that everyone has problems in their lives, but their problems are so simple to solve that people at a young age can solve it and the characters don’t know how to solve them. They find a solution as to how to stop the problem they are facing, but it ends up becoming worse because they don’t think straight about what they are doing. His plays are like a carousel because his writing makes people’s heads spin in circles.

He frustrates readers because the characters aren’t telling the truth and they put lies on top of lies. Once the characters have stopped and actually thought of the situation. The carousel won’t stop spinning until the problems are over.

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Amanda Cardenas is a freshmen in Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is getting only A’s and B’s. Her favorite thing to do is to hang out with her friends and watch TV shows. She believes that she will go to an amazing college or university because she is trying really hard in high school. One day she will get

some people just don’t want to be found samantha cardenas

Some people just don’t want to be found My best friend, Alyssa and I had always wanted to travel the world when we were 18 and graduated from high school. We faced through the biggest obstacles: our parents, money, and time. For us time wasn’t going too fast.

It was going slow because we had to wait till we graduated. My best friend couldn’t wait that long because we were just 15, so she just left with her boyfriend to go and live her life. I didn’t know where she was going to go.

All I knew was that she didn’t want to be found. I came back from my job, and I found a note near my window that read, “I don’t want to be found. I’m leaving with my boyfriend so have fun at school. I wish you could’ve came but you made the wrong choice. Have fun sitting behind a desk for the next three years.” I knew she was mad at me, but I knew I had made the right choice by staying and getting my education. I didn’t know where she went, and I never heard from her again. It was always her dream to go live her life foolishly. I was mad at her at for a long time, but for different kinds of reasons. One of the reasons why I was mad at her was because when she left, she never even called me to see how I was doing. Another reason is that we did all of those years of planning and convincing my parents to let me go. The last reason was that she just left. I was furious with her but not as much anymore, I understand it was always her dream. I thought about why

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she left out of nowhere, I remember her giving me hints about her parents and how she just didn’t feel loved with her family, and how she just wanted to get out of there. She wanted people who would love her forever. I did have that dream too, but I realized that I just wanted to be with her and be like her.. But after she left I realized what I always wanted and that was to go to my dream school, get a successful job, and a family of my own.

A few years later I didn’t really think about her anymore. She was just one of those people who you care about at the moment, but the relationship doesn’t last forever. I did meet a person that I care about ,and have had a few children with the love of my life. I’m going to the park with my children , so I see my best friends boyfriend, but I guess now her “ex” boyfriend.

He’s with another women and they both have rings on there left hand. I go up to him very curious and say “Adam”?

Samantha Cardenas is a freshmen at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is to actually get things done in life. Her favourite thing to do is to watch her favourite shows. She believes that racism could end because people can actually accept people. One day she will prove other people that they were wrong about my race.

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fear drowns your spirit

khari crawdford

Fear is thick, like molasses, but not sweet. Rather, it has a very subtle taste, that can nauseate even the strongest and toughest of appetites. That’s what makes it so incredibly hard to swallow. The days it takes, building up inside, in the way of your ability to breathe, to speak; this is how fear drowns your spirit. It’s no wonder I want to throw up. Why? What was my aim? -To swallow my fear. It is this fear that I‘ve been drowning in for the past two weeks.

I mean, what else is there to say about trying to ask out a girl? Especially this girl, who happens to be a flourishing piece of art that lives and breathes just as I do. My youthful optimism was becoming a force to be reckoned with. Such optimism reminded me I would to see her in my next class, so I made it to the nearest high school hellhole (sorry, bathrooms can be gross) and washed my hands, my face, even my armpits, then put on deodorant (as they say- don’t be that guy, Reapply!). So I narrowly made it to class, and (god help me) began to swallow all that fear. At this point, I was

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Khari Crawford is a freshman in high school whose face is better than yours (and you should know it). His greatest achievements include being a percussionist of both the Homestead High School Marching Band and the Youth Latin Jazz Ensemble of San Francisco. Other achievements include beating not only the first Dark Souls, but also Dark Souls II, and is currently progressing rapidly through their branch sequel, Bloodbourne. His favourite things to do include winning, drumming, eating, sleeping, and “listening to his Jams�. He believes that expressing how you feel each moment you can is of the greatest importance. One day he will achieve finding something to achieve, and then achieve it so hard that no one can achieve it better.

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a chance to save the world sarah chan

After a normal day at school, I put my books into my locker and jumped back to my house. I don’t mean literally hopping back home; I live in Aster, a high-tech city filled with Powered, or people with special powers.

My brother, Hunter, is a Super - a Powered who protects our city from the Lost. The Lost are essentially the Powered who use their abilities for evil.

Each Powered has different abilities as well; for example, Hunter can see extremely far and has slightly enhanced physical abilities, so he’s called The Vision. His nemesis, The Runner, can run really fast, so most people don’t see him coming. I have telekinesis and teleportation powers, which aren’t bad powers, but I can’t follow in Hunter’s footsteps to become a Super, because apparently women can’t save the world.

Once I’d stabilized myself after reappearing in my front yard, I noticed my parents talking to two Supers inside, which was unusual. I walked in through the front door and went into the living room, where my parents were. They noticed me right away, and stopped talking once I walked in.

Now that was suspicious. Awkwardly waving, I mumbled, “Hi mom, hi dad.

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Where’s Hunter? I wanted to talk to him about something.” My mom and dad exchanged glances before my mom whispered, “Jess, I’m sorry.” I turned away, clenching and unclenching my fists. I wasn’t stupid, I knew something bad had happened to him. I’m pretty sure that he didn’t get an injury or something, because typically other Supers wouldn’t have to notify us about that. My stomach dropped - only one thing could’ve happened that led to this.

My brother’s dead. The only Super in Aster that had a chance at defeating The Runner, dead. Hunter was battling The Runner when a (moving) bullet train came out of nowhere and killed him. The Runner, being extremely fast, ran behind a bullet train and caused it to speed up so fast that Hunter didn’t even see it coming. Now I have to avenge my brother’s death to make sure that his efforts to defeat The Runner weren’t in vain. Of course, I’ve only ever used my powers for ordinary things like teleporting home and to school or making food, so I don’t really have the proper training to be a Super, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try. All of my brother’s previous trainers have a strict “men only” policy because “women are weak, so they should have men save them rather than saving themselves,” so I’ve never really gotten the opportunity to train. Hunter was always gone saving people, so it’s not like he could’ve trained me either, although I think he has some friends that are Supers, so I could ask one of them to help me out.

After calling around eight other Supers who laughed at me, I finally got someone who didn’t think I was completely insane. Chase, who was the ninth Super I called, replied to my idea by saying that I had a point, telling me about his younger sister who would love it if there were female Supers. He also said that he thought a lot of younger girls feel inferior because of all these rules in our society, so it’d be nice for someone to finally break the status quo.

Once he said that he could train me, we agreed to meet up in an abandoned warehouse to see how good my fighting skills were. I know how to punch properly, so at least I’m not completely hopeless.

“Try to punch me,” Chase said, getting into a fighting stance. I copied him and threw a punch towards his face. His arm moved almost immediately, grabbing my arm and flipping me over.

“Ow,” I grunted in pain, “Seriously? I just started, you don’t have to

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flip me over first thing!”

“If you want to do this, you have to be good at hand-to-hand combat.

Do you need to take a break?”

“Just let me breathe a little.”

“You’re going to need a superhero name too. Any ideas?”

I thought about that for a minute. There isn’t really anything I can think of that relates to my powers, so what else can I do? I want to be able to inspire other women to become Supers too, to show men that we don’t always need help saving ourselves.

“How about Charisma?”

Sarah Chan is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is reading a book trilogy in less than two days. Her favorite things to do are reading books and watching movies. She believes in good movie adaptations of books, but that rarely happens. One day she will live a happy and successful life.

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larry

johnnie chow

The first time that Larry learned about money was when he and his mom went to the store. The first thing that he thought was, “This paper can get me anything that I want.� Larry is a very lonely kid who does not have many friends and is one of those people who eats alone at lunch. Larry wants to find a way to make enough money for his mom, who is in the hospital. Larry thinks that if he gets enough money and pays someone, they will be able to cure his mom. Making money for Larry is hard because of his age and his lack of being social. In his mind, money making is very easy to do. Soon he finds out that making money is very hard. After a week without any money he sees a group of kids selling drugs and getting money. He soon buys some drugs and starts selling them to make money, but does not know what the consequences are. One day, he has just finished selling his last bag of the drugs he had and goes back to resupply. He sees his dealers in the back of a police car driving away. He realizes that it was illegal. But the problem was he has only made half the money that he needed to pay for his sick mother. So he decides that he is going to try to make friends.

Johnnie Chow is a freshman. His greatest achievement so far is having perfect attendance his whole freshman year. His favourite thing to do is to chill with friends. He believes you can achieve anything if you put your heart into it.

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swim to win denise cerna

It was a meet just like any other. Nothing special, no stress; just me and the pool to see what I could do at the moment. I had big plans for the future… the five olympic rings were waiting for me. I’ve put in the work and if I continued for another year, I could make the team and swim for the US. My coach always said that effective work over time equals success, so, now it wasn’t a question of if, but when my accomplishments would come. I just had to focus on doing the best I could- even at normal meets like this.

I got on the starting block and it felt a bit slippery from the water. That was normal though, after all, I was at a pool. The timer started with a loud “beep” and I leaped off, or, tried to. Instead my foot slid across the wet surface of the block and I tumbled into the pool with my leg banging against the hard edge of the deck. I sank into the cold water and tried to ignore the excruciating pain in the bone below my left knee.

The next few days, I woke up to the annoyingly happy sound of birds chirping and stared at the white prison that would be surrounding my leg for the next three months. All my dreams, team USA, and my goals flashed before my eyes as I slowly burst into tears. When I looked at my leg resting in the sling of the hospital bed, I didn’t know what would happen anymore.

Everything was all planned out except for an injury.

But maybe I could get past that, after all, I still had a year. This broken

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bone would only take up three months. If I did as much as I could right now and put in extra work later, I could still make the team. It would be harder, that’s for sure, but it’s possible.

Fired up with this sudden burst of new energy, I picked up my phone and called my coach, ready to talk about the steps I had to take to reach my goal. I was still on the path to success.

Denise Cerna is a Freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far has been representing Homestead Aquatics at CCS. Her favorite things to do are swim, make jewelry, watch TV, and spend time in nature. She believes in joy, because the things that make you happy are what drive you forward. One day she hopes to swim for college.

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swim to win denise cerna

One day I was waiting in the parking lot for my mom to pick me up from school. It’s already been 20 minutes and I started getting impatient. “Ugh! Where is she? She should be here by now,” I whispered to myself. I got out my phone and started texting for the 20th time, “Where are you? You should have been here 20 minutes ago!” I was getting irritated, and I started getting so mad that I felt like my head was going to explode.

As time passed by, I started getting worried. I had this feeling like something happened to her. A million thoughts started going through my head.

I started calling her but she wouldn’t answer, so I was walking back and forth, worried about my mom, hoping she was okay, hoping that she just forgot about me and nothing bad happened to her.

One hour later, I see a grey car coming my way; it looked just like my aunt’s car. As it got closer I saw my aunt in the car, and I knew something was wrong just by looking at her face. I opened the door and asked her, “Hey, why didn’t mom pick up the phone?” She looked at me with tears coming down her face. “Ali, you’re mom… she’s dead.”

Emilie Chartier is a Freshman. Her greatest achievement so far is staying awake in spanish. Her favorite thing to do is watch netflix. She believes in world peace because one day she will make the world a better place.

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freedom worst job ever

from the

maryam chena

I swiveled around in my chair, a pen in my hand as I pondered over the stack of papers in front of me. I scanned the room seemingly nonchalantly.

Thoughts battle in my head as I look around the room. The people walked back and forth through the cubicles to the break room, a steady hum coming from the numerous copy machines and printers dispersed throughout the room. There was the annoying sound of gum-chewing and obnoxious foot steps leading to the main office. The secretary picks up the phone with a bored look on her face and an obvious look of distaste as she tells a client that the boss is busy.

Without a second thought, or third thought really, I threw on my jacket and rushed towards the door trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

I dashed to the elevator, once I got there I waited for about 5 seconds, checked my watch and raced off to the stairs, taking them two by two. My palms were sweating and the paper in my hand felt damp but heavy as I walked purposely to the office at the end of the hall. I stopped abruptly in front of the steel door, as daunting as ever. I pushed every doubt away ran my hand through my hair nervously . My breath hitched as I felt the cool metal of the doorknob. My hands felt warm and slippery. Suddenly I felt

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like my body was on fire. As I laboriously turned the doorknob all I could hear was the blood rushing into my head and ears.

I heard them before I saw them. A tinkling laugh and an ogrish chuckle.

A hand precariously close to her thigh. Strappy heels adorned otherwise bare legs that swung over the desk playfully. My feet didn’t feel like my own as I took thundering steps away from the door and into the unforgiving office. As if interrupted she jumped down and fixed her skirt biting her lip as she did. He tried to get an explanation out. He failed.

I set down my letter of resignation with a great flourish and walked out the door silently. I back pedaled back into the room and kicked his stupid glass statue before I walked out for real. Shoulders squared, head held high, I broke out into hysterical giggles before breaking out into a run as I opened the door and felt the cool air on my cheeks. I laughed out loud,threw my head back and skipped down to the street.

Now, to find a real job.

Maryam Chenna is a senior in high school. Her greatest achievement so far is not dying in high school. Her favorite thing to do is spend time in the city and keep up with Larry Stylinson. She believes that curiosity is one’s worst and greatest feature because it could lead to seeing things one would want to unsee.

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brooklyn blues anisha chandra

We hauled our duffel bags down the four flights of stairs, and exited the big, old apartment building, hopefully for the last time. It was a dark morning, and the skies were filled with angry clouds about to pour any minute. Perfect weather for what we were about to do.

Jess and I briskly walked down 21st street, looking straight ahead and not saying a word. She was dressed in all black even though I told her that we were just leaving the city for good, not trying to rob a bank. A few more minutes of frantic walking, and we approached the end of the street. Jess glanced at me with an “Are you ready?” look on her face. I nodded immediately. It was definitely time. Things had been getting way too out of hand.

We slowly and cautiously entered the alley. I was sure about leaving Brooklyn and the gang, but that does not mean I wasn’t nervous. We had no plans after this. We did not know where we were going to go. We didn’t even bother thinking about money; we just took everything we had.

My eyes fixed on Jess’s white pickup truck, and then they fixed on a shadow near the front of the truck. Only it wasn’t Jess’s. “And what little adventure are you two packed for, at this early hour?” It was her. The one who got us in this whole situation in the first place. Now I wish I did decide to dress in black, if that helped. Jess waited, hoping that I would say something, but I had already froze in my tracks.

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“Umm… what are you doing here?” Jess responded. I sighed. Looked like it was my turn to get ourselves out of this.

“We were just going away for a couple of days,” I shakily said, hoping she would buy it.

“Where to?”

“Manhattan.”

“At this hour?”

“Traffic?” I replied hesitantly, shrugging my shoulders.

She chuckled and stepped even closer, until she was barely 6 inches away and looking us directly in the eye. “Good. Because if you ever try to escape, you will be found. And there will be major consequences.”

Well, I thought she bought it. She was walking away when we started putting our bags in the trunk of the car. I thought we were fine. How would she ever be able to find us anyways? It’s not like she had GPS trackers on us. At least, I hope she didn’t.

“Haven’t you learned your lesson?” she sneered from afar, noticing that we continued putting our bags in the car. “I know what you’re trying to do.

You know too much and aren’t going anywhere under my watch.”

I gritted my teeth. Oh, I’d had it! I felt like a rubber band stretched too far, about to snap and break. I was going to give it to her now. She could not and would not take control over our lives! I came to New York for college, for opportunities, not to wind up in some top secret gang! I didn’t want to be forced to do anything any more. I was done.

As soon as I had started to step forward and give her a piece of my mind, Jess nudged me. She shook her head slowly, and whispered, “I’ve been stuck much longer than you. This isn’t going to work.”

Anisha Chandra is a freshman at Homestead HIgh School. Her greatest achievement so far is competing in science and public speaking competitions. Some of her hobbies include running, spending time with her family and friends, having outdoor adventures, and eating pancakes on Sunday. She believes in balancing mental and physical health to lead a life full of happiness. One day, she will have a career involved with making a positive impact on the lives of other people.

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flashbacks niv cohen

I still have flashbacks of the time my brother got shot. I was in my house when I heard the first gunshot, my arms clenched in fear of hearing that absurd sound for the first time. Not knowing what to do, I walked out of my house with my right fist locked tightly finger by finger and my cell phone in the other. I stood there with tears in my eyes, hopelessly looking in the direction I heard the gunshots from.

I continued to walk towards the direction of the gunfire. No one was around the neighborhood to see what has happened. My cell phone dropped out of my hand on a shattering impact as it hit the ground. As the tears ran down my cheeks, there he was, lying on the ground with a hole in his forehead. A gun was pointed towards his head, held by his own hand, surrounded by blood and scraps of bullet shells.

Niv Cohen is a freshman at Homestead High School. His favorite thing to do is Rock Climb. He believes in gender equality because it is a big world problem still going on today. One day he will climb solo climb all of Yosemite.

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school is like a jail sarah correll

School is like a jail, the teachers are the police keeping us inside rooms making us work. When writing in the classroom we have to show evidence and give explanations just like if you committed a crime. The head police is the principle. If you get into even more trouble you go to him and get a punishment. In jail you might get killed in an electric chair, and at school you will also sit in a “special” chair; also known as detention. In jail the criminal is forced to sit behind big steel bars. These bars are strong, like the stress you feel at school. It’s easy to get in but hard to get out. These bars of stress keep you from going where you want to go, doing what you want to do. People keep telling you what you have to do, what you can’t do, how you can’t do it right. You can’t let the big steel bars control you.

These bars are a mask, keeping you from being who you are and taking away from your true beauty.

Sarah Correll is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is getting her first solo part in a dance. Her favorite thing to do is perform. She believes that everyone should be positive and pursue their dreams. One day she will become a veterinarian and help animals.

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before he became a pro // raine deleon // 24 a ball of yarn // tyler yoshio deterring // 24 the tracks // maya dhar // 24

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before he became a pro raine deleon

Twas the night before the NBA Draft. Swish had just finished his pre draft workout. Many scouts from many teams were watching. He felt pretty good about what he did to prove that he belonged to a team. He went home, took a shower, and turned on the television. He was watching ESPN and listening to what Shaq, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley were saying about him. They said he has the best IQ of all the players entering the draft but commits to many turnovers. Swish was lying in his bed and he said to himself, “Do I even really have what it takes to play in the NBA? What if I don’t play? What if I’m not even good enough for any team? What if I don’t even get drafted?” Swish went to sleep and hoped that he will be drafted tomorrow.

It was draft day. This day determined whether Swish was worthy of playing in the NBA. He got into the limo with all his friends and family members. They arrived at Madison Square Garden. He rolled down the window, opened the door, and stepped out of the car. There were a bunch of fans cheering for him. This made Swish feel special that he knew he belonged in the NBA. His family followed. All of them sat at the draft table reserved just for Swish and his friends and family. He greeted many of the other players that were there who entered the draft. He took pictures with the commissioner, Adam Silver, the other players, fans, and his family.

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The clock was ticking for the Golden State Warriors, Swish’s favorite team. 29 players had already been selected. Bzz bzz bzz. His phone rang.

It was Steve Kerr, the head coach for the Golden State Warriors. Kerr said to Swish, “Hey Swish! You got a lot of talent and smarts for the game of basketball. We want you on our team because we know that you work hard everyday competing and improving. Are you ready?!”

Swish broke into tears and hugged all of his family and friends. He thanked Coach Kerr and told him that he was ready to get to work as soon as he gets there.

Adam Silver announced, “With the 30th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors select, Swish Ball from San Diego State University.”

Swish received his hat, walked up to the stage, hugged, thanked, and took a picture with the commissioner holding up the jersey. Everyone in the crowd cheered for him. Stuart Scott interviewed Swish. He said, “How do you feel being picked by your favorite team?”

Swish responded, “I want to thank the lord and everyone who believed in me and supported me, my friends, my family, my teachers, my coaches, mentors. They made me a better player and person on and off the court, pushed me to work hard. Everyone who cares about me contributed of guiding me get to where I am now. I’m truly blessed.”

Raine DeLeon is a freshman at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is making the jv basketball team and getting an award at the Lebron James Kings Academy basketball camp in 2010. His favorite things to do are shopping at the mall, especially buying shoes at Kids Foot Locker, Foot Locker, or Champs Sports, playing basketball, video games, and with his dog and hanging out with his friends, family, and cousins. He believes nothing is impossible and you can achieve any goal if you put your heart, mind, and hard work into it. One day he will be in the NBA.

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a ball of yarn tyler yoshio detering

The Internet is an infinite ball of yarn. It twists and turns and is a huge mess, impossible to untangle. Even so, it is beautiful in its own way. We are the cats that play with the yarn. We derive such joy from something so simple, yet unimaginably complex. The end of the string is our keyboard, our interface with which to plunge into the vast web. Unraveling the ball of yarn is like searching a website, getting a glimpse of the whole ball, but never being able to see it all. On the other end of the string there could be another cat doing the same. The string, the cat, the human, the web, they connect us all.

Tyler Yoshio Detering is a freshman in high school. His greatest achievement so far is being a member of the nationally ranked marching band. His favorite thing to do is to chill with his cat and have fun with his friends. He believes that everyone deserves equality because he thinks it will solve many of the world’s leading moral problems. One day he will reach his dream of joining a Drum and Bugle Corps and go to a satisfying college.

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the tracks maya dhar

She stared at the tracks in front of her, knowing that her parents would not approve. But continued nevertheless, step by step, avoiding the sharp stones that were scattered upon the deteriorating wood. Sunlight shone through the bustling trees and caressed the metal edges of the tracks, while the sky remained the palest shade of blue with sparse clouds drifting slowly throughout. As she looked from right to left at the bushes that lined the tracks, she noticed the backyards that peeked over the fences, separating the neighborhood from her. Into the distance stood tall buildings and large metal carts, possibly used to transport coal, she concluded. She turned around and then turned around again. Nothing but wildlife could be spotted. The occasional squirrel scurried from one bush to another, and then disappeared like it had never existed. She was alone.

The thought of moving forward seemed dangerous. But what’s the worst that could happen? she pondered. Wind blew through her empty hands as the thought of proceeding became more and more appealing.

She took one step closer and paused, leaning left to peer farther down the curving tracks, but the trees billowing in the wind obstructed her view. She took one more step, but still, nothing changed. So she took one more, and then another. And eventually, she was gone.

Maya Dhar is a high school student. Her greatest achievement is traveling to seventeen countries all around the world. Her favorite thing to do is meet new people in other countries and hear their stories. She believes that traveling is a great source of education. One day, she will visit Antarctica.

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E

boom! // maor elmalem // 24

boom! maor elmalem

My home sounds like a heart pounding. In my house there is always something going on just like a heart. Sometimes it not a good thing. There was one day where I was sitting in my room and I heard a knock. It wasn’t a normal knock. It sounded like someone trying to break into the house. I got scared and hid in the closest and safest place I could think of. Then I heard a “BOOM!” I almost screamed. I stayed still and waited to see what would happen. Then I heard footsteps. I wanted to call 911, but my phone was on my bed. My heart was racing. “BOOM!” It was a gun. I looked through a hole and saw someone I haven’t seen in many years. I didn’t think he was out of jail. How did he know where I lived? When did he get out? All these questions were going through my head. Then the worst thing happened.

He opened the door where I was hiding behind. He looked at me I thought he was going to hit me again like he did for years. Instead he sat down and starting crying. I started walking out of my house then, I ran far from my house. I thought my legs were going to fall off, they felt like jello. I felt as if my legs were going to give up on me any second. I finally turned the corner too scared to look to see if he was behind me. I walked up the stairs of

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my best friend, Dakota´s house and knocked on the door. She came to the door and saw me crying, I couldn’t breath. She asked me what was wrong I couldn’t even speak. I fell on the floor. It all went black.

Next thing I know I woke up in the hospital with my mom, Ivy, Dakota, and Dakota’s mom, Sara. I just looked at them confused. I didn’t know what was going on. Then, it all came back to me. I remembered my dad coming to my house. My mom looked at me. Tears in her eyes. “I know, I got a call.

He’s here.”

Maor Elmalem is a freshman in highschool. One of the things he is most proud of is volunteering with children who need extra help. Her favorite thing to do is be with friends and family. She believes that this world should become a better place for all people. One day she will follow her dream and reach her goal.

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in two weeks // samuel s. fayard // 24 the past is clear // andrew frakes // 24 clutch time // timothy fu // 24 christopher // katie fussell // 24

in two weeks samuel s. fayard

In two weeks I’ll be dead. In just two weeks, I will die six times over a period of three days. In two weeks, I’m taking my finals for my last year of high school. I’m not ready for them. I’ve not done well this past year, and, even now, I’m still not studying. Right now, I’m on Facebook, looking at the random posts my “friends” have saturated my news feed with. Cat videos, memes, rants against Donald Trump; all are just entertaining enough to keep me from doing my work. Now I’m on Steam, looking through my vast library of games. There are so many, most of them I’ve only played for a few minutes. They add up, those minutes do. A few games I’ve played for dozens of hours, many of them consecutively.

I look back towards my backpack, and think about the homework due the next day. To do, or not to do, that is the question. To try to make my future better, or to enjoy the present? A math packet, a book report, a research paper, and an essay are all things I could be working on. Or I could immerse myself in a first person shooter and blast and fight my way to safety through an army of death-defying monsters. Or I could join others in their quest to liberate an entire galaxy from unstoppably cruel tyrants. Or I could create a massive nation from the ground up, modeled after my own morals, made the way I want the world to be. Maybe if I studied, I could make the real world the world I want it to be. Decisions, decisions.

With a sigh, I turn back to my computer, and click on the latest video of an adorable sneezing panda.

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Samuel S. Fayard is a Homestead High School senior. His greatest achievement so far is not dying. His favorite thing to do is kill all the titans. He believes in fighting for humanity because if you don’t fight, you can’t win. One day he will successfully take a nap and actually fall asleep instead of just sitting there with his eyes closed while being kept awake by annoying thoughts, problems, people, and noisy things.

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the past is clear andrew frakes

The past is as clear as a magnifying glass. Studious hindsight leads to the realization that mistakes could have been easily avoided through better thinking. Looking back on a life littered with mistakes leads to misery, as one can easily picture the past more clearly than before. The limbo state of the present time becomes murky with frustration stemming from choices made and unhappiness regarding the current destination. Unlike the clarity of the past, the present is shrouded with tough decisions – to stew in contemplation, enjoy the present, or move on from the past and rejoice in the adventurous uncertainty of the future.

Looking through a rainy window, Jack is sitting still, wondering how he got here. A bolt of lightning zigzags across the night sky and Jack can see his striking reflection in the clear magnifying glass. He struggles to focus on his thoughts as rumbles of thunder roll through the stormy darkness. Brow crumpled in consternation, he considers his collection of possessions. He had all that one could ask for – the grand house, the beautiful wife, all the money normal people could not dream of, but lacked one necessary element: he never had fear. His palms never sweat, face never blushed, and eyes never blinked, despite his many attempts to create fear within himself. It started with jumping off cliffs, but he never felt any sort of adrenaline rush. After skydiving, he looked upon the world with the

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same indifference as if he were paying his bills. During crazy roller coaster rides with many drops, loops, and turns, he shrugged as if there were no physical sense of feeling. Spending money and hosting lavish parties did no good. All that did was trash his house. He was robotic in what he did, always following the same routine as though the days provided a countdown to his next life.

In his previous life, his emotionless state served him well. He easily duped others for his own financial gain. Whether it was through pyramid schemes, corporate stock salesmanship, or real estate investment swindling, white collar crimes paid handsomely. His money and mountaintop fortress further insulated him from fear of retribution. Now, however, Jack began to feel the unfamiliar: remorse crept into his thoughts. Overcome with guilt, Jack stares into the window and dwells upon his past mistakes.

This ultimately ended tragically, with his children and family screaming in horror, after seeing the deathly pale color of his face.

Andrew Frakes is a senior at Homestead High School. He enjoys playing basketball and spending time with friends. His greatest accomplishment is getting accepting by a great university. He believes that the hardest workers with the best attitudes will be the most successful. One day, he will travel the world.

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clutch time timothy fu

30 seconds left in the game. I dribbled the ball up the court as I eyed the time clock, steadily counting down to zero. I shifted my focus onto the scoreboard. 71-72, in their favor. No sweat. I had been in this situation before. But this was different. The state championship game was a whole new stage, one that was filled with excitement and expectation, ambition and anticipation. Our team had battled through close games time and time again, overcoming obstacles as a band of brothers. The hardwood was our home, the grounds of our greatest successes and failures, where we gave it our all. Now, we had finally made it. A chance to win it all. This was our final tesl. Months and months of preparations had led up to this very game, where we would showcase our talents to the nation.

A defender picked me up at half court, observing my every movement.

A flicker of the eye, a shift in body weight, a jab step; he noticed everything. This guy was stuck on me like Gorilla glue. He was the best defender on the opposing team, one who played with aggressiveness and determination. He possessed unparalleled quickness on the court, long arms engulfing the man he was guarding. I examined him closely as I dribbled in a protective stance. Sweat dripping down his face, eyes staring at my shoulders with unwavering focus, feet effortlessly shuffling from side to side. How was I going to get past this guy?

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I called for a high pick-and-roll, and my teammate, all 6’11” of him, scampered over. As he set his feet, I pulled a swift between-the-legs crossover, hoping to lose my defender by rubbing him off the screen. However, he sensed the play, and caught me on the other side of the screen. I backed up, listening to the raucous cheers of the crowd. Some of the opposing fans were screaming “DEFENSE” over and over, waving their hands and stomping their feet. But I blocked them out, knowing that they would get to my head.

10 seconds. I had to act now. Time slowed to a crawl. My concentration heightened, and I detected adrenaline rush. The crowd’s chants were replaced by a serene calm. I could feel every muscle in my body prepare for action. With every subtle movement I could perceive pure energy coursing through my veins. Smiling at my opponent, I accelerated into a run and pushed the ball ahead of me. Then, just as quickly, I changed direction, dribbling through my legs as I went. Between-the legs, behind, in-and-out, wrap around the back, pull back, spin move. I was a whirlwind, a force of nature, a phenomenon unknown to man. I was in the zone. Executing every move flawlessly, I raced past my defender in an explosive move, leaving him behind. I could sense him falling down helplessly, ankles broken and mind blown.

That was when I tasted victory in my mouth. I was invincible, no one could get in my way now. Two defenders rushed over to help, but I eluded them with ease. There I was, alone, cruising down the lane like a swift cheetah homing in on its prey. I gazed up at the hoop in front of me. Exhilaration filled me as I drove to the basket. So this is how superstars feel when they score the winning basket, I thought to myself. I imagined lifting the championship trophy in the air and waving to the fans. This game, along with my clutch shot, would become legendary in school lore. I couldn’t help but smile as I soared into the air, lifting the ball above my head for a ferocious slam dunk.

It ended just as quickly as it started. One second I was in the air, the next, I was falling, pulled down by the force of gravity and unable to move.

I landed painfully on my back as the buzzer sounded. The game was over.

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I heard the crowd cheering, but couldn’t stand the commotion they were making. My opponents were hugging each other in joy and relief. I lay there, not knowing what to think. Crushed by my own arrogance. All feelings of triumph washed away, replaced by a wave of fatigue. I could still feel the marks on my wrist from smashing it into the hoop. How could I be so reckless? I didn’t know how I would be able to face my teammates, or my coach, who had sacrificed so much to get here. I rolled over, sobbing quietly. And I lay there for a very long time.

Timothy Fu is an Asian guy who currently attends Homestead High School as a freshman. His greatest achievement so far is competing at a state-level geography competition that consists of smart kids who choose to memorize world capitals for no particular reason (Hey, geography is important!). He enjoys playing basketball, making music, and spending time outdoors. He believes in being kind and loving to everyone, because the greatest joy in life is serving others. One day he will travel the world and visit the far off lands that he has read about.

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christopher katie fussell

There she was. Sitting on Christopher’s lap in my favorite blue chair. She knew that chair was my favorite, she also knew Christopher was mine. All that mattered was her opinions though, my feelings meant nothing. Even on my 18th birthday she had to bring him to show him off. 13 years of pure love for Chris and she’s had him for 5 of them. How can she be so selfish?

How could she smile at me, when we both knew what she was doing? How had no one noticed? She brought the love of my life to my birthday for 5 years, and I was forced to put up with it?

The anger overflowed. I could no longer contain myself. Five years of this idiocy and I was done. Up and out of my seat, everyone at the party is confused on why I rushed to my cousin like this, they didn’t know what was coming their way. I began to scream and yell and cry and grab anything I could to throw at the wall behind her. I admitted my love for him while shrieking my hate at her. Emotions flowed through me, unintentionally acting like a madman. My friends and family tried to contain me before I got too close. My dad held me back as I threw punches and kicks her direction.

My mom tried whispering to me to calm me down, but nothing worked.

She stood, acting shocked and innocent, holding onto Chris’ hand tight to make sure I knew he supported her. Little did she know that it made me want to punch her even more.

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In the blink of an eye I was carried out by someone. Everything went calm and quiet, as if I was being carried in an angel’s arm to heaven. Placed on an outdoor chair, I look up to see who saved me from the madness, and my heart began to beat a mile a minute. Chris had saved me. Christopher.

The man I longed for all my life saved me from the worst situation I had ever been in. His green eyes stared into mine as he squatted so we are face to face. He tucked loose hair behind my ear and pulled me in for a kiss. The worst experience of my life changed to the best one, his lips were finally on mine. He pulled away and spoke in his quiet but deep voice, “No more.”

He walked slowly back into the house, but not before he threw me one last classic Christopher smile.

Katie Fussell is a senior in high school. Her greatest achievement was getting into her dream college, San Francisco State University. Her favorite thing to do is go to modern art museums and enjoy the modern art. She believes art history should be a requirement for all high schools because it is foundational information that could be useful to all high school students. One day, she will travel the world to learn the history of many different countries.

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him // anonymous // 24

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him anonymous

I remember when he first walked into the classroom. The window was open, the wind blowing in his crow-like hair. He looked straight through my eyes. Like he knew me. Like if I knew him. My heart bumped so loud right after. He gave me a smirk as if he heard it. Beautiful, angel-like features. He was tall, long dark hair, and mysterious. He was new, just moved from the city. Whole class period, he was showing how smart he was but so anti-social. My heart, body and soul knew I was meant for him. I didn’t know him, but I knew I did somewhere. The whole time he was just looking out the window, the biggest tree the school had. I wonder what he was thinking.

The bell rang and he walked out of the class. I somehow followed him without knowing. He walked around school. The soccer team, by mistake, threw a ball in his way, and he somehow caught it He did tricks and threw it back in a perfect motion. Everyone was in shock, he Just walked away. He went to the biggest tree the school had that he was looking at in class. He stopped and looked back at me, and he knew that I was following him. He looked head to toe of my body silently, and looked straight up my eye. His eyes were beautiful red and a combination of orange and grey, He gave me a smirk. And winked and walked away. Silent as the wind.

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my statue // matthew sarmiento kanashiro // 24 cherish things while you can // makayla harding // 24 college // andrew hou // 24

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my statue

matthew sermiento kanashiro

He sounds like a statue. He is still. He doesn’t change. He does not show emotion, nor does he speak of it. His heart had a hole since birth. We say it’s where his emotions were. He stays to his lonesome. What got him to this, we don’t know. But what we do know is this. He is the lone wolf type.

He is the silent type. He is my brother.

He was always the most simple yet complex person I knew. You could predict every reaction that he will have, but never the initial action. You could never tell what he was going to buy next but always know it was related to our games. You could never fully guess anything from my brother.

He would never be the one to talk first, he would always have something to say. He would always be asleep when you are the one awake. He doesn’t sleep in a bed, but makes a bed wherever he can. This is the home life of my brother.

He is now, what we call, a cyborg, half man, half machine. It suits him.

His heart is now whole, however, he will still sound like a statue, he will still be unpredictable in the most predictable of ways, he will still be relaxed in every case, and he still is my brother.

Matthew Sarmiento Kanashiro is an aspiring poet. His greatest achievement is being himself in a society where it is more accepted to be part of the crowd. His favourite thing to do is play video games with his friends. He believes that writing is natural and you should not edit for anything besides spelling and grammar because it is annoying and ruins the natural aspect of someone’s writing. One day he will become a published poet and have his own poetry book for gamers, nerds, geeks, and so forth.

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cherish things while you can makayla harding

It was a nice sunny Saturday morning, my friend had texted me asking if I wanted to go to the mall and then the movies so I told her I would ask my parents about it. The problem is, is that my parents rarely let me get out and explore the world so this is going to be difficult to discuss with them.

My mom isn’t the type of mom you think she is, she isn’t a chill, laid back kind, she is more like a mother you wouldn’t get along with. I asked them if i could go, they said no like always. So I asked why not because every child does it. My mother gave me an “i already told you no so why ask why you can’t go” look then she replied,“Because i said no okay”. Wow okay, I didn’t feel like arguing with her because i do that all the time, so I went to my room. I sat there thinking and thinking then thought, I’m getting older and it’s time I do what i want on my own, I thought, why not take a breather? I got ready and told them my parents said “yes” and then snuck out.

I’ve been at the mall for awhile, i check the time and go home so nothing would be suspicious. When i got there nothing was same.

When i walked through the door, my father was crying all he could say was, “Your mother, she’s gone Valerie, on her way to work” I ran upstairs, locked my door and stayed there for awhile. Why didn’t I just listen and

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stay home I thought, how stupid could you be. My eyes started to well up with tears, thinking about all the things we could’ve done if my mom was here with us, sitting here on my window sill thinking about the good times we use to have when i was younger, thinking about why I should’ve treated her better than I did. I walk to the bathroom, look in the mirror and see my mom but it isnt her its me. My eyes were a very dark brown color and I had tanned, smooth skin like her. But instead my eyes weren’t brown, they were like tomatoes, red and huge from crying for so long. I never knew how much this would mean to me to lose a loved one even though we never got along. And to this day on, I cherish what I have because one day that person or item won’t be there anymore.

Makayla Harding is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is becoming a cheerleader. Her favorite thing to do is to listen to music and cheer. She believes that being with family is important because they will always be there for you when you need them. One day she will follow her dreams.

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college

andrew hou

College. A door with too many question marks behind it, too many unknowns. It was a daunting thought. Our discussion had me thinking about the next four years of my life, since colleges were all we ever talked about. I decided to tune out from my the conversation of my buddies walking ahead of me, and instead focus on our hike towards the summit. Nature surrounded us everywhere. Birds chirping, the “gobble” of distant turkeys, and the ever-pesky insects, their drone intensifying and dying out in intervals as they approached and receded. A couple rays of sunlight shone through the dense foliage, illuminating the path ahead. Green vegetation was present at every turn, as were the overgrown tree roots, massive hunks of wood protruding from the damp soil. The flora and fauna never ceased to amaze anyone who set foot in this almost jungle-like reserve.

I stopped in my tracks, wanting to listen to the flow of the river past the mossy rocks and through the entire park.

“You alright?” one of my friends asked. I signaled for them to proceed without me. I closed my eyes and took in the environment. It was not often that I visited a forest, let alone a forest this grand.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed, interrupting my peaceful pondering.

Slightly irked, I checked it only to find an asinine email from some university who believed that I would apply this late, in April of senior year. There

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was another message, and I when I saw the word “college,” I was ready to power my phone off completely. However, the sender’s name caught my eye. Aman? My former best friend who I hadn’t seen for 5 years? I double checked, and the name hadn’t changed. I read the message, and brightened up. He had committed to the same college as me, and was searching for a roommate. I guess not everything having to do with college was bad.

I pulled up to the driveway, noting the bright red Prius that must have been acquired some time in Aman’s high school years.

“Hey, we’re even Prius buddies,” I thought, as I pressed the off button on mine. I was at his house for a reunion – we had decided would be rooming together at college. I took a look at the oddly familiar house, and nostalgia flooded me. In the distant past, I had spent many hours of good time in this house playing video games, card games, board games, wallball, staying over for sleepovers,... but that seemed an eternity ago. Would our conversation have the same bounce, with a touch of lighthearted sarcasticness? I didn’t wait to find out. Hands trembling, I pressed the doorbell.

Andrew “Andy” Hou is a senior at Homestead High School. He enjoys playing tennis and video games with his friends. His greatest accomplishment is assisting and taking care of his younger brother for the past 3 and a half years. He believes that a bit of thought and consideration for others makes a significant difference by improving the ambience of the world. One day he will travel the world, visiting all 7 continents.

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new friends // lawrence jing // 24

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new friends lawrence jing

I still remember the struggle of trying to make new friends. It’s always the hardest after we move. My parents say that I am the highlight of their day, and I always manage to make them happy. Yet, every day, as I try to make friends, I would smile as much as I could and try to talk to my classmates.

Everything always seemed fine, up to a point. Sometimes they would ignore me, while other times they would smile back and say “Hi”. And that’s when everything goes wrong.

The moment I try to open my mouth to speak, my throat starts constricting. My words are cut off and I don’t know what to say. I see their smile start to falter, and I am struggling to find something to say, but my mind comes up blank. Their smiles slowly slide of their face, and after giving me a weird look, turn around and talk to someone else.

This comes to my mind as, yet again, I try to talk to another classmate.

I have been to many counselors over the years, and they always give me the same advice. Plan it out beforehand, breathe deeply, and when I’m nervous, count backwards from 50.

Everything I have done to prepare flashes through my mind as I smile at the girl sitting next to me. She smiles, leans back in her chair, and says, “Hey. How you doing?”. And by some miracle, as words come out of my mouth, I feel the start of something new. “Fine, you?”

Lawrence Jing is a freshman in high school. His greatest achievement so far is passing 8th grade. His favorite thing to do is reading. He believes in food because one day he will eat.

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the cookie shop // kai // 22 another wake up call // lukas kunjan // 24 fitz // karthik kalyanasundaram // 24 a promise // lauren kane // 22 eternity // austin kim // 24 outbreak // cory clayton kountz // 24 JOHN ANDREWS the all-knowing // varun kiragi // 24

the cookie shop kai

Trudging through dirty snow, Jack pondered what he had done to deserve this icy hell. Argument with parents? No, he hasn’t argued with them for years. Cheating on the Chem 104 Final? Well, the professor did accidently give out the answers online. Not flushing the toilet? Ehh, maybe. But why would he be punished for that?

Jack glanced upward. Through the blithering snow and the harsh rain, he could just barely make out the murky sky that insisted on punishing him.

Ommff.

“Watch where you’re going kid”.

The gruffy man glared at him as he walked passed Jack, now lying face planted on the mush of snow and mud.

I should really ge-...No, it’s not worth it.

Jack laid there, oblivious to all the natural elements slapping him. Snow began cover his legs and his arms and the rain drench through every last article of clothing. It was almost if the rain was cleansing away anything hindering himself, giving him a second chance. A second chance to say sorry, to throw away that naive pride, at love. The snow though, held him back when he was right there. When he could change. Every. Single. Time.

Maybe I’ll let go...Just for a moment. Just one moment…

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As he slowly closed his heavy eyes, he spotted a cookie shop a few meters aheads.

Cookies! Warm, gooey, succulent cookies.

Springing up, Jack ran. He ran for life, for comfort, and for the cookies.

To hell with the debt, the grades, his ex, the broken computer. None of that mattered anymore. Jack craved familiarity. He craved simplicity. Back when life hadn’t caught up with him and he could simply lay on a couch without dark images creeping into his brain.

Ahhh. Ummf.

Hopeless thoughts began to circle his brain as he fell hard onto the concrete. The cookie shop, was just a few inches away, yet it looked so far.

No, I must...press on!

Jack crawled. 1 centimeter. 2 Centimeter. 3 Centimeter.. There.

He had reached the shop. For once, he had fulfilled a goal. As he lay like a frozen stone on the warm carpet, thoughts of paradise seeped into his brain.

Finally.

Warmth.

Kai is a biology student at UC Santa Barbara. His greatest achievement so far is not being an idiot for 1 minute. His favorite thing to do is resting for a exorbitant amount of time. He believes that writing is only good when one is in the middle because the beginning you have inertia and the end is always hard to close up. One day he will not have to think about coupons.

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another wake up call lukas kunjan

“COLLIN, WAKE UP!!!”

“MOM, It’s only 6am, and a Sunday!!?” Collin tucked his head tight under his pillow, but his mother’s voice prevailed; “GO TAKE OUT THE TRASH!” “MOM, LET ME SLEEP, please…”

“Don’t you talk to your mother in that tone young man, you come down here this instant!!!”

Still sleepy, Collin put on a bathrobe and slippers and left the crowded, yet cozy attic that he had made himself home in ever since his mom and he had moved there when he was 8. Ever since that year he had lived with his mother because his father wanted almost nothing to do with him. Collin had learned to live without his father so well that he could hardly relate to the term. To Collin it had always just been him and his mother, whom he had learned to dislike with a passion.

Collin walked past his mother, who gave him a rather unpleasant gaze, and grabbed the trash. Collin grabbed it so tight that if it was a person he could have easily strangled them, angrily he pulled the trash behind him, out the front door, and to the trash can.

This had been his wakeup call for almost two years now, Collin hated his life, he didn’t have enough money or good enough grades to attend

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a college, nor was he able to get a good job with his rather unimpressive high school diploma, and therefore he was stuck living in his mother’s run down attic. For those whole two years he had been emailing colleges or trying to find a way to get into college through some type of scholarship opportunity, nothing, all he ever received was emails apologizing for the fact that he wasn’t excepted, if he even received a reply at all.

Like normal, Collin continued his routine, eat breakfast, bike to work and eventually bike back home, everyday… But today had been different, Collin felt it, he knew that today wasn’t an ordinary Sunday. He felt it, but he couldn’t point out what it was. Was it the warm weather, or maybe the fact that he had tried a new shampoo the day before, Collin didn’t know. Collin finished his day at work, and like always got on his rusty, old bike and left.

The next morning, like always the sound of Collins mom yelling “COLLIN, WAKE UP!!!”, shook the old house to the foundation. But something was different, Collin’s mom shouted again “COLLIN, TAKE OUT THE TRASH!!!”, but there was no reply. “COLLIN, I’M WARNING YOU, COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!!!”, but again the there was no reply, the house was dead silent. “COME ON COLLIN, don’t make me come up there!...”

Collin’s mother quietly walked down the hall and toward the folding ladder that led to the attic. “Collin… Are u still asleep?...” Collins mother looked up the ladder furiously and annoyed… “COLLIN!!!”. It took Collins mother almost two hours to finally comprehend, that her son, Collin, was gone.

Lukas Kunjan is a Freshman at Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. He spends most of his time rowing at the Los Gatos Rowing Club (LGRC) and any of his free time, that isn’t taken up by homework, with his friends. He believes in honesty and dedication and hopes that one day all of his commitment toward rowing will help him get into College, where he plans to study architecture and continue his rowing career.

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fitz

karthik kalyanasundaram

Fitz attended Mission High School with the mission that he should do well in school and have a nice social life. As the school year went on, he was attracted and wanted to join the high school wrestling team. When he had school work, he would work hard to make sure he understood all the concepts. But when it came to wrestling, he just could not push himself with the same passion that he showed in his school work. His teammates were rapidly progressing while he was plateaued at his skill level. One day, his friend, Jake, came up to him, asked him what was going wrong, and listened to Fitz rant about how he could never become good in wrestling.

Jake had also had the same problem, where he just could not push himself to work hard. Jake then suggested to Fitz that he give himself rewards such as eating out if he worked hard. Fitz put this plan into play as suggested and found that the plan worked marvelously. In less than three weeks, Fitz could already feel the improvement. A month later, the true test for Fitz came. It was time for him to go to regionals against people from other schools. It was time for him to show himself that he had truly gotten better.

During the tournament, he quickly finished his first rounds. He had made it to finals, something he had never done or was even close to doing before.

He was going to face against the number 1 seed, who had the odds in his

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favor. Rather than adopting the mentality that he would lose, he made a promise to himself that if he won this game he would eat out at the fanciest restaurant nearby. It was a grueling match, but at the end it was the cunning that Fitz used and the fierceness with which he wrested with that made him win the game.

Karthik Kalyanasundaram is a student currently enrolled in Homestead High School.

His greatest achievement so far is being able to finish math homework in class. His favorite thing to do is to play badminton with friends. He believes that he will revolutionize the technology business. One day he will become a great CEO who will pay more than the minimum wage for his employees.

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a promise lauren kane

The words echo through my mind, breaking me like a promise. He said he’d be here. I try to move, to look around but somehow I only have will to interrupt my gaze at the still doors, to glance at the clock. He said he’d be here. I smile faintly as I hear the people around me wishing me happy birthday, but the words seem ato be coming from far away. Did I tell him the right time? Why hasn’t he called me? I look down at my phone for what feels like the hundredth time that day. No missed calls, each new text getting my hopes up, but none from him. My legs begin to shake as I walk as fast as I can out of the room and down the hall. I lock the door of the bathroom and crumble to the floor still holding the door handle, the only thing keeping me from falling down completely. He said he’d be here.

My eyes still burn from crying, my head still pounding hours later as I collapse onto my bed. I hear the muffled buzzing of my phone through the sheets. I answer.

“Sorry I didn’t make it.”

“I’m sorry too.”

Lauren Kane is a Senior in Homestead High school

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eternity austin king

People always want more time, more time in their days, more time in their lives. What if they had all the time in the world, they could do whatever they wanted to do with out wasting time. I hated time since I was born. Time was not a problem for me, I could learn anything in a matter of days that took anyone years to master. I could play almost any musical instrument available in a music store. I could play sports as if I had been playing my entire life and make the professionals look like beginners. Learning was simple review for me, when the teacher would lecture. Most people would enjoy the idea they could master anything in a day and play as a professional.

That is where they would be wrong. I have used so little of my time to do all the things I wanted to do that I felt empty. Empty that I can’t learn anything new and I had filled my head to the brim with anything and everything I can learn. Also other people looked down or alienated me. The other students would envy my fast learning speed even teachers would feel envy or annoyance whenever I corrected them. Now before you ask if I am very intelligent, I would say no. I simply have all the time in the world, literally. My name is Echo, and I cannot die.

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Now I understand this is confusing, I said it takes me days to master something. The reason being, the years seemed like day to me. For the people who envied me, were those who aged normally and passed away after a while. Now most people would kill for the change to live forever, but me? I have had a long enough life. What is there to do when you have done everything?

Austin Kim is a young man living in the United States. His greatest achievement so far is living through high school. His favourite thing to do is archery. He believes that no one is the same because everyone is different. One day he will publish his own book series

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outbreak cory clayton kountz

There was a small boy waking up in the woods no one around him. There was the noise of branches and twigs breaking and it gradually gets louder until it stops. A women that looked to be 15 or 16 had blonde hair, blue eyes, was very thin, and had scrapes all over her body. The young boy looked a little bit relieved that she was not a walker. The young boy’s name was Ron .He had brown hair, hazel eyes,, but he had no scrapes on his body because he and his now deceased family had just moved there before the outbreak.

The woman walked up to the little boy and asked, “Are you here all by yourself?”

The young boy replied with a simple nod of his head, not uttering a single word.

She crouched down in front of him, and leaves crackled below her feet.

“My name is Rose, what’s yours?”

He looked at Rose for a second thinking whether or not to trust her but he stateed his name very quietly “Ron” Before all hell broke loose he was very talkative, but now he very rarely talks after the rest of his family died and was eaten. He HAD to stay quiet so the walkers would not find him in the woods and he thinks Rose is out here for the same reason as him, but she talks like she hasn’t been hiding

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at all from the walkers. He looked up at her and thought of asking her a question, but he refrained from it.

She looked down upon him and asked him, “Do you have a place to stay”? I have a camp at a school. We have food and water.” She paused for a second “You can come if you want.”

She was a little hesitant, but her motherly instinct didn’t want to leave him out in the woods alone. She held out her hand for him to take.

He looked at Rose and nodded, as to say that he wants to go to the camp, even though it is at a school and before the outbreak he hated school. He gets up from the ground and took a hold of her hand. He still hadn’t´ talked much at all, but that will change soon.

They start to walk Southeast toward her camp, but on the way there, there is a lot of leaves near them started crackling. It sounds like something is coming to them. A zombie grabs Ron’s leg and tries to bite him but Ron takes his other foot and stomps its head off.

He looks at what he had just done, but then he looks up at Rose as he shook with a scared look on his face. He runs to her and hugs her tightly,not wanting to let go of her.

She crouches down and rubs his back while hugging him. She started thinking that might have been the first time that he had to kill a zombie before. She talks softly to him, “It’s ok it’s over now it’s over now.” Rose stands back up and takes Ron’s hand after he has calmed down, and starts walking to her camp.

Cory Clayton Kountz is happy, loveable, funny, but at home he stays in his room all day doing one of his favorite things, playing video games. His greatest achievement so far is learning to play trumpet. His favorite things he loves to do is play video games and play the trumpet. He believes he will make a change in the world because one day he will be in the Army.

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the all knowing cory clayton kountz

My father is an encyclopedia. He knows almost everything there is to know in the world. When he was young, he was the number one student in all his classes. Today, he knows a lot about math and science. Whenever I ask him for homework help, I feel like I’m only scratching the surface to his knowledge. He’s a like a very intelligent balloon, filled with knowledge, ready to explode. If you start opening the balloon, all the knowledge just floods out. Unlike a normal balloon, the air inside of it never runs out.

There’s always something more in him. Always some more knowledge and wise words to be shared. The only time where he didn’t know as much as I thought he would was with French. He doesn’t know any French, but always tries to help out to the best of his ability. It doesn’t really help, but I deeply admire how he tries to help me. It’s not just math and science he knows a lot about. He knows a lot about life in general. The floodgates really open when I talk science with him. We could converse for hours, if we didn’t have any other work to do. The topics change over time as well, and there’s more to talk about.

Varun Kiragi is a freshman in Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is eating his vegetables. His favorite thing to do is to make music. He believes in expressing yourself, because that is the best way to leave your mark in the world.

One day, he will be a music producer, or an astrophysicist if that doesn’t work out.

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yesterday // isabelle law // 24 obstacles // casey latini // 24 heroes without capes // emily leyfer // 24 the drawing // hannah liao // 24 another normal high school morning // conner // 24 swinging the puck of escape // angie liu // 24 tonight was different // daniel changmin lee // 22 i remember // seungjae lee // 24 what do you know? // herman lin // 22

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yesterday isabelle law

Yesterday tastes like chewed gum that I finished last period. Gum that I started at one point in time and finished. I think it was winter mint or was it strawberry orange? Doesn’t matter. What’s important is that I cherished and enjoyed all the flavors it had to offer and move on. I wrapped that little bundle of mess in the shiny wrapping paper. Then, I stood up and tossed it somewhere. I remember the moment that happened. All the good and bad things occurred. I really looked forward to that piece of gum, but that was in the past. All those memories and experiences will be littered in some dusty corner, or in the middle of the sidewalk. But maybe tomorrow morning, some kind stranger will pick it up and place it in the trash, side by side with other memories of the past. Then be carried away to a far off land called the dump. Where the past goes on forever.

Isabelle Law is a freshman in Homestead High School. Their greatest achievement so far so far is having straight A’s for a semester. Their favorite thing to do is to laugh with friends. They believe that there is always good in someone. One day she will become a millionaire.

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obstacles casey latini

Jake was a baseball player and he tried out for the school baseball team he knows there’s gonna be a lot of competition. Jake is trying to succeed and make the team to prove to his brother that he can make the team.

Jake’s brother is hard on him about sports because he wants jake to be able to play college baseball. Jake thinks his brother is being mean to him all the time because he always hard on him. Jake’s brother is trying to help him because all he wants is for him to be a better baseball player. Jake older brother is hard on him because he know that jake could be a great baseball player and he doesn’t want jake to make the same mistake that he made which is not taking the chance to play college baseball.

Casey Latini is a student enrolled at homestead High School. His greatest achievement is being able to play Sports. His favorite thing to do is play sports. He believes if troubled teens play sports that will keep them busy so they won’t do bad things. One day he will do something to help out troubled teens

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heroes without capes emily leyfer

The future moves closer. Slowly at first, then suddenly it leaps. And we find ourselves there. As kids we dream of futures where we become heroes and warriors, or leaders and royalty. We dream of saving the world like the hero in our favorite comic book, or finding love like the princess in our favorite movie. Some dream of both, being royalty whose duty is to lead, but also to protect, and turn into everyone’s favorite superhero when the night time comes.

When I was younger, I thought this future would come faster, that I would be a teenager by day and fight for justice by night. But here I am, in the future, leading an average life. This doesn’t mean that we should forget our dreams. Being a hero doesn’t mean wearing a cape and having powers.

So that’s my new dream. Maybe I won’t have a special costume or a transforming pen, but I will have a power that will be whatever I want it to be. I can save lives without having to shoot thunder at an evil enemy. My words and knowledge can be my super power. For now I’m sticking with this

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average life, but I never know how soon I will have to use this power. It might be tomorrow, next month, or next year. Either way, I’m ready for what the future holds for me. It might not be what I expected as a young girl, but it is something I will treasure.

Emily Leyfer is a freshman at Homestead High School. Their greatest achievement so far is getting to be a leader in their youth group. Her favorite thing to do is studying different languages and watching cartoons. They believe in every individual’s power.

In the future she will study psychology and teach art.

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the drawing hannah liao

“Livvy!” The little boy gasped, as he excitedly clutched the cool art project that he had made at school. Jacob skipped up the stairs, one step, two steps, till he finally reached the top to his sister’s room. He flung open the door, only to be scolded to always knock before opening the door. Livvy glared at him, like she always did, Jacob thought sadly. She was perched on her bed, headphones on and laptop on her lap.“What do you want.”

Livvy inquired somewhat rudely to the small boy.

Sensing that she was in another bad mood, Jacob rushed to speak about how there was this nice lady that came into their class and taught them how to draw really cool pictures- but he was soon cut off by an annoyed grunt.

“Okay, is that it?” Hurriedly, Jacob rushes to pull out the art he had made.

Livvy only looked up for a second at the piece of artwork that Jacob had spent the whole period between recess and lunch making. And all she said was, “cool, now can you please go?” Dejected, Jacob noded and closed the door shut behind him.

He slowly walked downstairs to the dimly lit dining table and picks up his backpack to start his homework. That wasn’t very nice, Jacob thought.

But then again, Livvy was never nice to him, and all she ever did was eat, go on her laptop, or go on her phone. He lifted up his head to the sound of the door opening. Mommy was home! He ran over to her with his artwork

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and gives her a hug. She gives him a warm smile and examined his artwork.

“It is very nice, have you shown Livvy?” She asked.

Jacob nods a yes.”But she didn’t want to see it.” He said sadly.

“Well, maybe if you show her again at dinner time she’ll like it.”

He didn’t believe it, but nods anyway.

At dinner time, Livvy seemed to be in a better mood, she wasn’t picking at her food like she usually does, Jacob thought. If she’s happy, maybe she’ll like my picture.

He ran to his desk where he had carefully placed the drawing, and brought it over to his family.

“Livvy! Livvy! Look what I did in class!” Jacob said again. But once again, Livvy spared only a mere glance and a bored “cool.” Jacob felt hurt and sad. Even his own sister couldn’t make the time to pay attention to him.

However, this time he sees his mom give a warning glance at Livvy. She rolled her eyes with and huffed, but said anyway, “Fine. Let me see it.”

Encouraged, Jacob placed the drawing into her hands. Livvy’s eyes softened when she saw it. Jacob had drawn a picture of the both of them holding hands and had scrawled “the best sister ever” as neatly as his messy writing could.

Jacob smiled at his sister hopefully, waiting to hear the words of approval he so longed to hear. “You like it?” He asked her.

“Yeah, I do.”

Hannah Liao is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement is sleeping a lot. Her favorite thing to do is to waste time on her laptop watching Netflix. She believes that everyone has some kindness in them because kindness makes the word a better place. One day she will go to college.

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another normal highschool morning conner

There is still homework. What time could it be right now? Oh, it’s 5 am.

Time slipping away like the dark into dawn. There aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything so we must choose the most important tasks to burn the wick of the day. The black turns to gold as the sun skims over the horizon. Unlike the candle, the light grows brighter as the night wears on; the brightness embodying the darkness the due assignment. The last pieces are coming together. The sentences are making sense. Quick, to Turnitin! As the assignment loads the clock strikes 7. The assignment is finished. On time.

There’s a sense of relief in the air as school supplies are gathered. Another assignment complete, just 9 more to go.

Conner is an 18 year old videogame enthusiast. His greatest achievement so far is circling the Sun 18 times and being remarkably sassy. His favorite thing to do is play videogames. He believes that he’ll eventually publish a game. One day he will commit to a project and work it to completion.

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swinging the puck of escape angie liu

Because the only exciting people are the athletes, full of a high-powered energy, and always animated with positivity. Not necessarily an athlete of a sport, but of a passionate hobby they dedicate half their lives into too.

Runners, jumpers, ballers, artists, musicians, and all those alike are athletes just the same. They are talent specialists, alive with peppy, bubbly, and frisky movements like the zing you get from fruit sodas. The power they hold bounces to you as a ping pong ball, and when you make sure to catch it, you’re dragged along on their bright merry-go-round powered on fullblast, never stopping. Right then, you’re born into a part of their mad idea.

Wesnoir listened to the soul beating speakers of the nearby concert, and wiped away his raging tears once more. He wanted to appreciate the spring air on his freshly painted white balcony, but instead was experiencing the aftermath of arguing with his parents about an inspiring life plan.

This time he had confessed about his mad love for ice hockey. His parents’ reaction was unexpected, as they disagreed harshly about his stubborn dedication to it, and furthermore had scoffed at his goal of gaining fame from it. Wesnoir felt that the power had been shut down from his bright

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merry-go-round brain, which was going on full blast just a minute ago.

The speakers suddenly ended, along with the booming drums. The cheering crowd exploded from their bleachers, and applauded for Wesnoir. He closed his eyes, and grabbed a hockey stick. The black puck slid between his legs, and with careful aim, he zoomed across the ice and took a full swing at it. The ice rink blurred all around Wesnoir as the shot scored.

His audience screamed again, loving him more than ever. The game judges were surely going to award Wesnoir with the shining gold trophy he deserved now. He had his hands wide open and clasped it, opening his eyes.

A train ticket officer gave him the ticket he had just bought. Wesnoir’s other hand was holding his ice hockey bag. He was heading towards Ostrava, the world’s largest professional ice hockey training center, and more than two thousand miles away from home. There was no crowd to cheer for Wesnoir now.

The dull, sour regret was starting to kick in, and seared out his nostrils.

Was he really capable to do this on his own? Moreover, was it right to escape his unsupportive parents? Yes, he told himself. Even if the useless guilt took control of him, it was too late to go back home. And his parents had to be proud of him once Wesnoir reached his dream of becoming a famous ice hockey player. He needed to hear them say sorry about their decisions and mistrust in his own chosen paths. I will bring home my honor and fame, so that my parents will see that I can succeed at something decided by me on my own. The train halted suddenly. The electronic voice called out that the famous man, president of the most contributing power plant factory, was looking for his son. Before anyone processed in their minds what was going on, Wesnoir had jumped out the doors.

Angie Liu is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement has been being able gain experience through attending multiple year-long activities, and learning from them. Her favorite hobby is running miles through beautiful scenery.

She believes that you must be happy today in order to be happy tomorrow, and one day she will arrive at the end of her road map to success.

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tonight was different daniel changmin lee

He told me that he would be back. He told me to wait and that he wouldn’t take too long. But again, I am told that every day and every night. I never really knew where he was going or why he was leaving. But all I could do is wait for him to come back.

It was 9 o’clock at night, a usual time for him to be at his table working.

But tonight was different. Tonight, he seemed as if he was looking forward to something. He was chatting, laughing on the phone as if he was excited.

He was in the bathroom doing his hair and talking to the mirror. Before he left, he opened up the refrigerator and put bottles into his backpack and closed it. As usual, he told me that he would be back soon. He told me that it wouldn’t take too long. He opened the front door and closed it right behind him. I heard his car starting and then leaving.

As usual, I waited. I waited for him to come back. Waiting in front of the door wondering when he would be back home. This time, he never did.

But I still waited, because that was what he told me to do.

Daniel Changmin Lee is a senior at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is getting into Art Center College of Design. His favourite thing to do is to design and make concept sketches of cars.He believes that his designs will be put into production because one day he will become a lead senior designer at big name car companies.

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i remember seungjae lee

I remember messing up quite badly. My hasty action scares and makes me regret for the entire day. I remember her face: half-joking and half-seriously disgusted. I remember the hospitality and softness. Her soothing whisper lulls me to sleep; I remember falling asleep in the middle of the conversation. I remember the silence, peaceful and relaxing, not until the next morning.

I sigh when I wake up, from the empty space next to me. The next few days in which my phone remains dead feels like a century.

I remember when my phone used to flood with messages. Now even with the fancy orange case, my phone no longer shines nor is alive. I now recognize and feel the empty space, cold yet relieving.

I accept the reality and learn to mature in life as a next step, not only to avoid making the same mistake but also to find the peace in mind.

Seungjae Lee is an adult. His greatest achievement so far is protecting his identity for 18 years. His favorite thing to do is spending time with his friends and cooking.

He believes that his current situation is not the worst because he has 60 more years to live. One day he will live happily ever after.

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what do you know? seungjae lee

I should be grateful. I should feel lucky and proud to own a car, but looking at the peeling paint and faded tires of my 1997 Toyota Corolla, the feeling just wasn’t there. I knew that getting a job at a restaurant or the local grocery store would take too long; I needed money now, six-thousand dollars to be exact. That was the goal. Six-thousand dollars and my cousin would sell me his used 2006 BMW M3.

Looking through my closet for clothes to sell, I spot my old boyscout uniform in the corner. As I inspected its cheap, cotton fabric that I haven’t worn in years, a light bulb appeared in my head. As soon as the idea sprouted, I quickly shut it out. What kind of person would I be if I went through with this idea? I shoved the uniform back into the closet and continued searching for sellable clothes.

But every few moments, I would find myself staring at the worn out boyscout uniform that probably doesn’t even fit me anymore. Or does it? I retrieve the uniform from the depths of the closet and slowly put it on. As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I whispered to myself, “I’m going to hell.”

Still wearing the uniform, I dashed out of the house and got in the car.

Driving without a destination for a few minutes, I finally turn into a small neighborhood. After I park, I walk up to the first house and ring the doorbell.

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An old caucasian woman opened the door. I smiled. “Hello ma’am, would you like to donate to Troop 888 to help raise money for our upcoming camping trip?”

“Oh of course. Let me see how much I have. Let me get my purse.”

As I waited for her to return, I heard someone call my name.

“Herman!” I turned around. I froze in fear. It was one of my mother’s closest friends, I called her Aunt Sue. “Hey….Aunt Sue. How are you doing?”

“Long time no see! What are you doing here?”

“I was just-” The old lady reappeared, holding a wad of 5 dollar bills. “Here you go son!”

I panicked. “Um..no it’s okay….”

Aunt Sue watched suspiciously.

I nervously accepted the money and thanked the old lady. Now it was just Aunt Sue and I standing there. She looked like she was thinking hard about something, then she turned around. “Give me half.”

Herman Lin is a high school senior. His greatest achievement so far is staying alive His favorite thing to do is play basketball. He believes that everyone unique. One day he will live in Los Angeles.

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my dog // kyle markley // 24 the great bear-hound sif // michael ma // 22 remember the past? // storm martin // 24 buzzer beater // seth allen markley // 24 math test // ankit maurya // 24 violins // julian mendel // 24 shakespeare // andy mezei // 22 my father’s importance // geetarth // 24

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my dog kyle markley

When I was in the 6th grade, I had a golden retriever named Murphy.

Such a lovable puppy, once able to run freely at the park, fetching tennis balls, exploring where ever he pleased, and just able to be a dog. Now, legs that were once able to run for miles, drag behind his body, struggling even to get food or to get anywhere.

I remember my parent trying anything they could to bring Murphy back to his old self, through exercises, to discussing about expensive procedures that were unlikely to even help. Our family was stuck, not knowing how to take care of this sad creature, continuously being heartbroken by the sight of our best pal not being able to enjoy his short life.

I recall being at soccer practice, sprinting and scoring goals one after the other. I had a smile on my face from laughing with my other teammates and just enjoying life as it was. I was waiting for my mother to come pick me up but it was my dad instead, I knew something was up. I opened the car door to see my father’s eyes red and watered up.

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My smile turned around quickly as I sat in the passenger seat, trying to comprehend the news my father had just told me.I couldn’t believe it, I bolted to the backyard to see if it was true. I stopped, caught my breath, and began to cry, it really was true. My puppy had left me, to run free for miles and miles, chew on any toy he pleased to, and live a life he wasn’t able to on earth.

Kyle Markley is a student at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is being number 1 in the nation on his soccer team. His favorite thing to do is earn money on Doordash. He believes in the multi-universe theory. One day he will have a great family living in a good home.

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the great bear-hound sif stormi martin

The night was long, and the blizzard was harsh. Sif, the bear-hound, growled at the huge bear, the dog was determined to protect his cub from the colossal demon. The bear enraged him, for it had killed his mate, injured his master, and is now threatening to kill his cub. Sif struggled to stand as his stomach was torn by the bear. He knew he would not survive this fight. He looked at his cub, just a week old, still barking in the crimson snow.

Sif thought of his younger days, back when he was at his prime. His master always favored him over the other dogs, for he was the strongest and the smartest of the pack. He thought about his mate, a slender, white saluki, and the good times they had together hunting. Reality pulls him out as the bear lunges at him, the dog barely able to dodge the attack, leaving behind a trail of blood.

Losing consciousness, Sif only had one option left. With his last ounce

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of strength, the dog dragged his corpse-like body toward the pup, and bit down on the scruff of the pup’s neck, picking him up. The bear-hound knew that this was the final hour of his life, and that he must pass on the torch to his son. He flung the pup as far away as his strength allowed him, hoping he would be safe from harm. With the pup out of the way, Sif lunged one last time, with only his willpower keeping him conscious. He bites the bear in the eye, rendering the beast blind. In a fit of rage, the bear knocks the hound down with one powerful swipe, and flees. Sif laid on the ground, his eye filled with blood as his vision became red. In his life, he had but one regret. He will never be able to see his son kill the bear.

Michael Ma is an artist/gamer who is just about to finish high school. His greatest achievement is beating all the Soul’s games as well as getting 2nd place in the Los Gatos Art Competition. His favourite thing to do is drawing and gaming. He believes that the next Elder Scrolls game would bring the series back to its roots because one day, Bethesda will finally come to its senses and stop dumbing down their RPGs.

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remember the past? stormi martin

Remember that time you broke something of the neighbors with your friend? Or when you went on a road trip with the family? No? Well, that is because it is in the past now. And you might have forgotten it even though it was possibly a couple weeks ago. That memory has been put on a shelf in your mind, much like an heirloom. The past is an antique that is often looked at, but not much thought about. It is that memory in the back of your head that you wish may or may not have happened. That little twinge in the back of your brain when you’re about to do the same thing as before and it feels familiar. The part of your brain that tells you that something could be dangerous,but when you ask why, it pulls up the time where you’ve done it before and just haven’t learned your lesson before. The time where you may have done something stupid and it’s burned into the back of your eyelids for the next hour or so. That period of time will soon be like the antique, placed on a shelf to gather dust and be forgotten about until “spring cleaning day” when a new memory comes along and replaces it.

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Like that picture on the back of the shelf that you do not want people to see because it looks funny or that really bad fight with your parents that caused an awkward silence in the house for a couple days. It will soon become something forgotten with time and you will move on to a new memory. The cycle repeats over and over again until the end. Of course you can always use something or see an object to help remind you of that time, but by then it will just feel like Déjà vu to you. “The past is in the past” people always say, and that is true, but the past is important whether you know it or not. Yet, people always seem to forget about it. Just, like that antique on the shelf.

Stormi Martin is a Homestead High School senior. Her greatest achievement so far is getting two green and white awards during the span of her high school career. Her favorite thing to do is to dance. She believes in staying true to yourself because that will be the only part of you that people will come to trust. One day she will travel to different places.

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buzzer beater seth allen markley

It was the CCS finals for basketball, and it was the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. The starting point guard was sick, and the secondary got hurt on the previous play, so it was all up to Jason. The coach put him in, and told him, “I believe in you.” Jason’s team was down 68-75, they had the ball. He called out a play, and they got a quick layup, 70-75. The other team was wasting time, and at the end of the shot clock, they put up a shot, miss. There was one minute and fifteen seconds left. Jason took the ball down, dished it off for a three pointer, it was good, 73-75, one minute to play. The other team took it down, and tried getting a quick jump shot. Iit bounced off the rim and into Jason’s hands. He ran down the court, looking to tie the game with 40 seconds left, they ran a play, missed a shot but got the rebound. Jason had an open shot, he hesitated, then got blocked. 7375, five seconds left, they were on defence. The ball was passed into half court, four seconds, Jason ran up to defend, three seconds. He snatched

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the ball away, and within the last two seconds, shot a deep three to win the game. The buzzer sounded one second after his shot, he closed his eyes, and what felt like an eternity, finally came to an end‌ His team jumped off of the bench and ran over to hug him, he had gotten the game winning three. Jason looked up in the stands, and looked for his parents. His mom was not there, and his dad was on his phone, not even paying attention to the game. All of a sudden Jason felt like quitting, even though they won the game, his father still did not care for his basketball life.

Seth Allen Markley is a freshman in high school. His greatest achievement is making varsity for CCS as a freshman. His favorite thing to do is play sports and work out.

He believes that it can always be worse, so stay positive. One day he will go to college for beach volleyball.

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math test ankit maurya

Strolling into the room I glance at the white board. Expecting to see how the day is going to go by and expecting to see that the night workload will be easy. But as I scroll my eyes down to the bottom of agenda I see in big red letters, MATH TEST NEXT PERIOD. As soon as I comprehend what I just read, it feels as if my stomach just drops out. I also feel as if the blood is rushing up my face, as I begin to feel nervous.

I begin to realize that there is no hope for me as there is no way that I am ready for this test. I feel a tightening in my stomach and I realize that this test will be the end of me. It will certainly bring down my grade to below what I need and it will surely put a lock onto the many doors that may have been opening for me in the future. It will be the David that brings down the Goliath of my dreams.

Standing there in front of the white board, from the corner of my eye I can see my classmates filing into the room, brushing past me in order to get to the table that I’m blocking. They seem oblivious to what is written on the whiteboard or they just don’t care as much as I as do about this test.

How can they not be worried at all about this upcoming test, doesn’t it matter to them too? I can see some staring at me, wondering what the heck am I doing just staring at the board. But they don’t realize what I’m going through, how I’m barely able to keep my grade above a D. They don’t real-

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ize that if I fail this test too then there is no way that I can stop myself from failing this class.

But then I realize that not all has to be lost. That the future does not look too bleak right now as there is still is a chance to save it. Even though it is a long shot, if I can set my mind to studying really hard then I might have a chance to save my grade. Spending day and night studying I might be able to learn the material that’s going to be on the test. Or, instead I could take the easy path and look off my neighbor’s test, but if I get caught then that’s it for me, everything’s finished in the blink of an eye.

Ankit Maurya is a senior at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is completing high school and going to college. His favorite thing to do is spend time with his brother. He believes that hard work brings about good things. One day he will have a good career and a good family.

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violins julian medel

Fear sounds like violins, playing high, dissonant, grotesque chords with increasing intensity and tempo. It causes undescribable anxiety whose source is unknown, but that makes it all the worse. Fear is a cloud that suffocates and consumes all prospect of hope. At first, you don’t notice it, but it grows and grows over time and suddenly hits you like a train, but by that point it’s too late; there is no hope of escape. Fear tastes like a piece of fruit turning to ash in your mouth. You bite into it, expecting to taste the sweet flesh, but end up with an unpleasant bitter taste. Fear doesn’t care about what part of life you are in: it claims children and the elderly alike. It manifests itself in nightmares, disease, and violence. Although it is found in many different forms, one things remains constant: there is no avoiding its grasp.

George knew fear very well, or so he thought. His life had been full of twists and turns, defined by uncertainty at every stage. An angry, alcoholic father in his childhood, the failing economy in his adulthood, and losing Sally to Alzheimer’s in his old age. However, despite these setbacks, he always found a way to bounce back, to find enjoyment in life. Whether it be in the laughter of his grandchildren or the fresh, California air entering his nostrils during long walks in the park, he always managed to pull himself out of total despair.

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This time, he was not so sure.

It started as a subtle ache in his stomach that would flare up every now and then, mostly after big meals. So subtle, in fact, that he couldn’t even remember when it first started. He figured it was normal; just another price that comes with old age. If only he had told someone sooner.

Subtle turned into uncomfortable. Every now and then turned into weekly, then daily, then all the time. It got so bad that during his final months, he could only ingest liquid foods. Begrudgingly, he allowed his son to take him to the doctor, but not even medical professionals could help him. What started as insignificant stomachaches turned into stomach cancer, stage IV. “If only we had caught it sooner, maybe then there would be hope.”

“At this point, our goal is to make him as comfortable as possible before he passes.”

George picked up on snippets of conversations between his doctor and his concerned children when they thought he was out of earshot. His stomach might have been broken, but his ears certainly weren’t. He knew exactly how grave his situation was, and that it was time to face his greatest fear of all: death.

In a life of uncertainty, George made the decision that his final act would not be. He opened his bottle of pain medication and poured all of the white, circular pills into his hand. Without hesitation, he leaned back his head and shoved the pills into his mouth. After one large gulp, they traveled down his throat into the stomach that failed him. George laid down in his small, lumpy hospital bed and closed his eyes for the last time. As he drifted out of consciousness, the last thing he noticed was dead silence.

The violins had finished playing.

Julian Mendel is an incoming electrical engineering student at UCLA. His favorite thing to do in his free time is play the alto saxophone. His greatest achievement so far was playing a solo in his marching band show during the Grand National competition for marching band his senior year. He believes that proper prior planning prevents perplexing problems. One day, he will graduate law school and become a practicing patent attorney.

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shakespeare andy mezei

Shakespeare’s plays are like pottery, created of ancient materials and timeless. His plays are inspired by stories from times before written language and yet the language that they are written in makes them relevant even today. Like good pottery his work is still beautiful and useful today.

Many pieces of media are also still based on or inspired by his work. People can still appreciate and feel a connection with his great characters as well, which really places him apart from many other authors of his time and today. In school, especially high school, we have studied many of his plays in depth. Unearthing all the meaning and knowledge from within these old stories and applying it directly to our modern lives. Even as technology and culture has changed so much over the hundreds of years that have passed, the struggles and problems that humanity faces still come from the common ground of human nature. In this way society will never be able to escape the curses of being human, but in the same vein they will always have the gift of life.

Andy Mezei is a high school senior. His greatest achievement is waking up this morning. His favourite thing to do is rest after a long day. He believes that everyone should have their chance to find what truly makes their time worthwhile. One day he will hopefully achieve his dreams.

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my father’s importance geetarth

My father is my spine. He is the one that supports me, even if he has to stay awake late to do his own work. He’s my heart, he’s my brain, he’s my lungs, and he’s my bones. Without these four important body parts I am dead. It was the same when I was little and could not read or write very well. My father he tried his best to make me better. My dad got so worried that he thought that I will never become fluent in English. Now look at me. I have become something that my father was afraid that I won’t become into what I am right now. I am what I am because of my loving and caring father.

On most days my father is an angel from heaven and some days he is a devil from hell. When he is a devil he acts like two things. One, my father wakes up in the morning he is grumpy because one he doesn’t eat his breakfast. Two, he is gets really stressed out when he comes home from office in the evening. On other days he is an angel who helps me out on things that are hard to understand.

All in all, he is a great father that supports me 75% of the way to success and other 25% he pushes me till I finishing it all. Nevertheless, he is the man that I depend on for help in all my subjects in my house.

Geetarth is a one of a kind human being that thinks of ideas that are mostly Lateral.

His greatest achievement so far is flying to india alone without a parent to guide me to the planes that I am supposed to have. His favorite thing to do is playing volleyball.

He believes in family because they will always have his back till the end. One day he will become the world’s best volleyball player in history in the future and in the past.

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fred // kayan naderi // 24 the lock // rueben narad // 24 the juggler // erica nguyen // 24 the cuckoo clock // amin najmi // 24 silence of the dark // newsha nikfarjam // 24 gas on the pedal // omer nisenbaum // 24

fred kayan naderi

Suddenly my home is filled up with flames. The dark smoke is going up towards the clouds. My heart begins beating faster than ever before. My first thought and priority are my children and wife. Luckily, the whole family is in the living room watching the television. I instantly showed my family the way out and contacted emergency services. Minutes go by without a sound. I am considering dialing 9-1-1 again when I hear a faint sound.

As I stand there listening, the sirens from the large truck get closer and closer. The heat from the burning home becomes larger and larger. I am standing on the sidewalk with tears running down my face. As I become more emotional and begin crying, my coughing becomes worse while the smoke in my lungs is exhaled. Sadly, my dog, Fred, is still inside and he is trapped. The poor animal must be terrified. Fred just had surgery after a car accident, so I think the chances of his survival are slim. My wife and children are sobbing with fright due to the chaos and our family pet being trapped. I don’t know what to do. One side of me is telling me that I should do anything to make my family happy and become a hero. The other side is telling me to make the smart decision by waiting for professionals to save Fred’s life. My wife and children are begging me to save poor Fred, but I came to the conclusion that it is too late for an inexperienced man like myself to save him from the flames.

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Finally, the fire truck comes speeding down my quiet street. Worried neighbors begin to exit their homes as the sirens come closer. My hands are shaking as I try to wipe my tears. The sight of the fire truck is far more relieving than anything I have ever experienced. I must stay strong to show my family that everything will be okay. This is a very delicate situation especially for my young children. My beautiful house is almost completely burned down. At this point I can’t even tell what color my recently painted home is. I tell the fireman about Fred immediately. I suggested a few spots in the home where he likes to hide or rest in. The flames are so large making me think that Fred will not be able to make his way out of the disaster. I head over to my crying family. I run over to my crying children and tell them that Fred is on his way out right now. I give them tight hugs and tell them not to worry at all. If the firemen do not save him, I will not know what to say to my family that begged me to save Fred by myself. I will not be able to live with myself knowing that I could have saved his life. If Fred dies, my promise to my children that our dog will be safe, will be broken. The trust between my children and me will never be the same. I will not know whether to replace Fred or give them time to grieve. I will be lost and confused.

I like the vision of a man trying to be the father to the family - the head of the family - but also being a human. He obviously did the right thing by not going into the house. I think I would suggest making your prose flow more. The imagery is good, as is the story itself, but the writing itself is a bit choppy.

Kayan Naderi is a senior at Homestead High. His greatest achievement so far is tying his own shoes. His favorite thing to do is tying his shoes. He believes in shoelaces because one day he will teach his son how to tie his shoes.

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the lock reuben narad

Aside from the large, 12-foot long rusted metal door of the train car, the only thing keeping him out was a cheap padlock. With two bent paperclips in his hands, he meticulously meddled with the pins of the lock in the pitch black of the night. He waited for the satisfying click of the shackle, but only heard the click of his makeshift lockpick breaking in two. His heart dropped.

As a bead of sweat ran down his head, a memory flashed in his head.

He saw himself hiking with his father. He remembered coming across an abandoned wooden farmhouse. The rotting door had a rusty lock hanging uneasily from it.

“The trick,” his father said, “is that the lock is never solid. Everyone spends their time trying to pick it, but a little brute force will open her up.”

He picked up a plank of decaying wood, and brought it down on the lock.

Just as if they had a key, the lock made way for them.

Upon waking from his daydream, he searched the ground for a rock, or a metal bar, or anything heavy. Brushing against his backpack, he felt the sharp bump of his screwdriver enclosed. He felt his fingers over his backpack, feeling around the bump. They pioneered across the side, all around to the front, until they found the cold metal of the zipper handle. “zzzzip,” the backpack sounded, as he pulled open the pouch. He shoved his left

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hand in, and fished about for his old screwdriver. Rather than finding the screwdriver, his hand happened upon a long black flashlight. He pulled it out with his left hand, while dusting it off with his right. Rubber flakes fell off the decaying handle, landing on the top of the backpack. He flicked the switch, and pointed at the lock. It was a small brown master lock, hanging from the hole in the car door. He searched around, seeing if any part of the door could be budged.

As the light reflected off the door, he saw the next train car out of the corner of his eye. Fatigued, he walked over to see if he would have better luck with that door. He pointed the flashlight on it, revealing an opened lock.

Reuben Narad is a freshman at Homestead High School. Over the years, he has completed many achievements of immense feat: He carried blocks of stone from the Pyramids of Egypt thousands of miles to Germany to rebuild the Berlin wall. Under the surname Karl Marx, he wrote several books laying out a system of government used by many leaders, such as Stalin and Chairman Mao. He likes to play guitar. He believes that individual opinions should not matter to society and that Capitalism counteracts a productive economy. One day he will invade Poland, and hopefully control Europe.

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the juggler erica nguyen

I went through my daily routine of foot exercises to improve my dexterity.

I was practicing juggling scarves, an easy object to juggle since they float down slowly rather than plummet to the ground. My thighs felt like they were on fire from working out for an hour, but the thought of becoming coordinated enough to juggle with my feet kept me going. Suddenly, one of the other kids at circus camp burst into the tent I was practicing in.

“Where on earth did I put my bag?” she said, exasperated. Her stage makeup was smeared from sweat. She was probably looking for the makeup in her bag for a touch-up. Then, she finally noticed my presence and narrowed her eyes at me.

“You’re still here, trying to learn how to juggle without hands?” She sneered at me.

At this point, I wished I were born with hands so I could punch her, because my legs were to tired to kick her. I did not run away from home and join the circus just so I could be surrounded by people like her. Eventually, she located her bag and shot me a mean-spirited smile.

“Here, juggle this,” she sneered and she took out three batons from her bag, lit the ends on fire, and tossed them to me. Panic briefly scrambled the thoughts in my brain as I saw the flaming objects hurtling towards me.

However, in less than a second, I pushed the panic out of my head and

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forced myself to remain calm. This was what I practiced for. I was going to make my lifelong dream of juggling fire a reality. I reached out my leg and tried to catch one of them, but my short toes couldn’t grip the baton properly. Not like the way fingers could grip. I felt my heart drop like a tightrope walker who took a wrong step as I watched the baton slipped through the tips of my toes. A searing pain suddenly spread through my foot as the part of the baton that was engulfed in bright flames hit me. Oh, the agony!

Erica Nguyen is a really awesome person. Her greatest achievement so far is existing.

Her favorite thing to do is sing. She believes in herself. One day she will take over the world.

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the cuckoo clock erica nguyen

My brother sounds like a cuckoo clock on steroids. The sound just keeps getting stronger and stronger. Me, just sitting in my room trying to work.

I’ve been sitting at my desk with just my name on the paper for over an hour. Thinking about what the hell is this kid talking about. I’m moving as slow as a snail through my work and as bored as a turtle. My ears ringing, wondering how this kid is still talking. I get out of my room to see what his fuss is all about.

It turned out he just wanted an M&M.

Amin Najmi is a freshman at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is overcoming all the struggles in life from the struggles of hard climbs biking to maintaining good grades at school. His favorite thing to do is to bike for extensive amounts of time everyday. He believes having a goal is key in life but without putting in some “pain” there will be no further gain in life.

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silence of the dark newsha nikfarjam

It was a cold dark day. Nothing unusual about a night in Seattle, but there was a silence to the night like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I was walking home with my mom when the silence began to grow by the minute. My mom, Dianna, had recently gotten a divorce from an abusive relationship.

She’s wanted a divorce for years, but had stayed with my father just so she would be able to support us. I felt bad for her. She’s never experienced true love, and I hold myself responsible for that. As we were walking home, I saw tears dripping down her perfectly red cheeks. She blamed it on allergies, but it was too easy to look through her broken lies. After what felt like hours, we reached our apartment complex. While walking up the stairs, we noticed our door cracked open. We slowed down, and my mom tightly grabbed my hand.

“Wait by the stairs.” She whispered alarmingly to me.

I angrily nodded in disagreement but she pushed me back and placed her finger on her nose to shush me. She sneaked to the door and slowly opened it. A loud scream ringed in my ears followed by a deafening BOOM. My eyes widened in disbelief and without even realizing, I ran to catch my mom’s fall. I hold her tight and look inside to find a man rushing out the window, not knowing I was there as well. Her dripping blood loosened my grip as I carefully set her down and looked into her big brown

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eyes that were filled with pain, but contained a feeling of peace. I grabbed her neck to keep her balance and stroked her cheeks.

“Take... care.... of yourself.” My mom said to me gasping for air.

I looked at her noticing her fair skin turning cold and grey and dripping with my tears. “ Don’t leave me mom! You’re gonna be alright. PLEASE!” I shook her in disbelief. Soon I started hearing the loud noise of the sirens as they were closing in, but ignored it, shut my eyes and held on to my mom as if my life depended on it. A delicate hand rested on my shoulder and began to shake me.

“Megan, you’re gonna be late for school. Megan!”

Annoyed and confused, I swiftly turn to yell at the voice, “Mom?” I squeaked quietly.

“Morning honey.”

Newsha Nikfarjam is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is winning a medal for being a member of honor choir. Her favorite thing to do is sing, watch tv shows, beat scrubs in League of Legends, and spend time with her family. She also enjoys learning about social and political science. This passion drives her to believe in social equality because one day she hopes to become a lawyer.

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gas on the pedal OMER NISENBAUM

I remember the day that I left the road, leaving no regrets. Not even a single tear running down my cheeks. I had all the money, the only worry was what was to come. I packed everything, and I mean everything. I even packed the little teddy bear that has been sitting on my bed since I was a young boy. I had no regrets, not even the slightest of care, not even remembering my parents’ birthday, as I didn’t even think of that. Walking towards the garage doing nothing but what might have been my last action to my parents, seeing the tears run across their faces and their emotions letting loose. Not saying anything, only a wave, what might be my last wave to my parents, I get in the car, slam the trunk of car in place and revving the engine saying in my head, “I won’t have any regrets.”

Right as I’m about to hit the gas pedal, I hear the voice in the back of my head saying, “You are going to regret this.” I think of the past memories I shared with the wonderful family I have, I shut down the car, still seeing my parents crying, I go back to and ring the doorbell that I have been giving them when I come back from school everyday, and what might have been

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the most significant hug of the life I continue to have with the ones who raised me. I yap and yap, saying how much I needed them in my life and how much I wanted to stay with them, but alas, my room was already changed to a yoga room for my mother.

That was when I realized there is always time to come and visit and for now just to think of the future and what it has to hold for me.

Omer Nisenbaum is currently a freshman at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement in life so far was passing a sailing and windsurfing course this past summer. His favorite thing to do is play basketball, windsurf, and sail. His main belief in life is that we were all born equal and that we just have to work harder to stand out and be better than the rest. One day, he will lead a healthy, wealthy life.

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the book // joel palma martinez // 24 lego // timesh patel // 24 the championship // aravind patnam // 24 my best friend forever? // vanessa paz // 24 time will never be on our side // cassandra phan // 22 safe, but not for long // christopher phan // 24 what happened to kit de la cruz? // alfonso pitco // 24

the book joel palma martinez

James saw a shining light in one of the alleys, while walking the streets of New York, and decided to get closer to it and see what it was. He saw that the shining light was coming from a book that might have been dropped by someone, he thought about picking it up, but he was afraid that he would get caught and get into trouble. He decided to just walk away and ignore what he had found, but every time he got further away from the book he heard a voice saying “ you are the chosen one� he tried to ignore it, but everytime he got further from the book the voice kept getting louder and louder. He could not keep going, the voice was too loud so he decided to pick up the book and take it home. Should he tell his parents or keep it to himself? At the end he decided to not tell anyone because he knew that if he said that he heard voices they would think he was crazy. Once he arrived home, he took the book to his room and there he opened it up and started to glance through the pages, the front of the book had a red gem in the middle and it had no title which was weird. He could not understand the writing but there was pictures so he just looked at the pictures and somehow he could understand what the pictures were showing. He read the whole book and figured out that it was a book about spells he did not know what to do with the book, he wasn’t sure if the book was cursed or not because every once in awhile he heard voices that told him to watch

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out because they were coming for him. He thought that he was just imagining things so he just ignored it and kept the book with him until one day he bumped into a an old man that told him that he better watch out. At first James did not know why the old man told him to watch out but once he kept on walking home he remembered and he started to run to see if the book was still there. The book indeed was still at the same place he left it but he noticed that someone had been in his room but had not taken the book he tried to look around his house to see if someone was there, but there was no one so he decided to hide the book because he realized that it was an important object. Later on in the afternoon he grabbed the book and when he had it in his hands a note fell out of the book and he had never seen it inside the book so he read it and it said “ meet me in the alley way or else� so he decided to go. He arrived at the alley way where he first found the book and there he saw someone in the shadows and he asked him who are you. The person came out the shadows and it turned out to be a wizard he had to get the book back because it contained special spells that no one should ever be able to see. The wizard asked James if he could get the book back and he decided to give it back to him but James told him that he had to get something in return. The wizard accepted his offer and decided to let him go with him because the wizard knew that James would be safer with him because since he already knew a lot of stuff from the book, someone could be able to take him and it would not be safe for anyone because then they would be able to find all their secrets. James had to come up with a reason to tell his parents that he was going with the wizard, so he decided to tell them that he got accepted to go to a special high school for talented students since he was great at drawing. So his parents allowed him to go and so the wizard took him with him and then they just trained james to be a good soldier and that’s the end of this story.

Joel Palma Martinez is a senior student in homestead high school. Their greatest achievement so far is waking up in the morning to go to school. His favorite thing to do is watch netflix and sleep. He believes that one day he will.

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lego timesh patel

I remember when I first saw the Legoland sign. I was 6 or 7 years old and was in love with legos. I remember as I walked up to the entrance, I immediately wanted to take pictures with every lego statue. I pushed all the kids smaller than me out of the way and crawled through the legs of the tall adults. I eventually got all the pictures with every single lego statue. I remember marveling at all the cool lego rides and enjoying myself when I went on the rides. I remember my favorite ride was the go-kart ride where I got a lego license. I remember that I asked my dad if I could drive back to the hotel and showed him my valid lego license. I remember the prickly, plastic feeling of legos in my hand when I was playing with them. I remember that moment when I took off my shoes to go in the play area and stepped on the edge of a lego. Pain surged up my leg, and I fell to the ground in agony. I ended up resenting that play area because of that injury.

I also remember the dreadful feeling of leaving Legoland a few days after. I was bawling my eyes out and begging my parents to stay one more day. I felt that I did not have enough time to do everything at Legoland. I felt like a giant foot and squished me of my happiness, like a human foot squishes an ant. However, I remember I had an exhilarating time at Legoland.

Timesh Patel is currently a senior at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is getting admitted into a good college and getting to pursue his passion of computer science. His favorite things to do are play soccer, watch soccer, play video games, and hang out with friends. He believes that hard work will always lead to success.

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the championship ARAVIND PATNAM

Sweat was running down my cheeks as I gathered myself for championship point.

The image of me holding the championship trophy with a huge baby-faced grin was an image that used to pop up into my dreams, but now I was one point away from making it a reality. I kept saying to myself, “Stay calm and play like you have been playing this whole match”. A combination of tender excitement and amateur nerves filled every fiber of my body.

However, as any young athlete, my mind wandered into the championship realm. I couldn’t help but think what I would do after winning my maiden championship. The congratulatory messages, the fame, and the rankings boost were only a few of the factors I thought of in that thirty-second span.

Little did I know about the enormous task that lay ahead of me.

My opponent, sensing my inexperience, worked it perfectly. He realized the look of tension in my face, and jitters of a young nine-year old running through my veins. Just as it was scripted in a book, he took an “Emergency Bathroom Break” to keep me waiting even longer. As he walked to the nearest bathrooms, I sat on my side of the bench with my emotions running wild inside me. It was mental torture, and nothing seemed to calm me down in the magnitude of the moment. When I was sitting down, I shook my leg, drank my Gatorade, and even ran around the court for some time,

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but nothing was working.

After what seemed like an eternity, my opponent returned to the court.

I was finally ready to win this championship, didn’t want to wait even a second longer. And just like that, I took matters into my own hands and served an ace to win the championship. The trophy looked even shinier in person.

Aravind Patnam is currently a senior in high school. His greatest achievement so far is playing for the USA U17 cricket team. His favorite things to do are play sports. He believes that hard work always leads to success.

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MY BEST FRIEND FOREVER? VANESSA PAZ

Sasha is about to tell her childhood friend that she loves her. But is to scared of rejection. She is a fragile person and she cannot handle that kind of heartbreak in her life. She is sitting in math class and she only has about five minutes left before lunch, Sasha is now debating whether to do it or not. RING!!!!! The bell rang signaling lunch, Sasha goes up to Cristina, her childhood friend that is waiting for her outside her math class and she says “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time…” she trails off still debating whether she should say it because her gut is telling her that it will go bad.

Cristina gives her a questioning look.

Sasha finally has the guts to say it. “ I’m in love with you Cristina” Her facial expression changes...

Vanessa Paz is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is dreaming big because nothing is impossible if you believe it can happen. Her favorite thing to do is talk to new people. She believes that everyone should be treated equally because no one is perfect. One day she will be a famous actress and model and she hopes that one day she can make a change in the world.

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time will never be on our side

cassandra phan

The future is a black abyss, where nothing is certain. My crew and I came from that abyss. To travel to the place you call the present and that I call the past; and then beyond through time. To save our history (and therefore our present). I’ve traveled to the past, future, and alternate timelines with my crew. It is our job to ensure that the time line is secure and does not experience rifts that could change what was and create an entirely new what will.

Our next mission should have been simple, should have. Visit 2016 and stop a young girl from finding a yellowed and aged journal. The first entry...December 31st, 2094.

The bomb exploded. The ship rocked, throwing my crew back and forth and then finally on the floor. The pressure change from the rip in the side of the ship was dragging my crew across the floor.

“S.K.A.I.,” I yelled, “Close all control room doors.”

An automatic male voice responded, “Closed Eliza.” I could feel the pulling pressure lifted and I could return to my feet.

“What the hell was that!?!” Blake demanded advancing on me, he had a nasty bump on his forehead from crashing into the wall.

“Can’t answer that now Blake,” I said trying to stay calm, “everyone hold onto something, we’re landing in New York, 2016.”

“And by land you mean crash land right,” Jessica said holding Zara’s jet

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black hair back as she threw up into a box.

“Precisely,” I said. The floor trembled, everyone grabbed onto a piece of furniture in the room to be kept from landing on their back.

Once we were safe on the ground, the crew and I tried to keep our bearings. Zara was still puking in the corner while Jess sat on the floor, feeling around for her shattered glasses. Blake was muttering to himself running his hands through his blonde hair. The last member of my crew, Kyle, had walked out the door to survey the damage done to the ship.

“How the hell did a bomb get on the ship?” Blake raged. His temper was always a gamble. Levelheaded one minute, head full of hot air the next.

“They couldn’t have put it on the ship in 1468,” I reasoned, “so I’m thinking it was smuggled on in 1984. The only question is who and how.”

“That’s two questions,” Jess called from the corner.

“Anyways,” I continued, “No one is supposed to know about our missions except the other time lords. Which means that one of them sabotaged us or it wa-” “Eliza,” Kyle said poking his head through the door, “The damage is pretty bad. We’ll have to make repairs before we can get this thing off the ground.”

“Let’s finish the mission first before we get to that,” I said, “S.K.A.I. give us a debriefing on the mission.” The automated voice spoke.

“New York, New York 2016. Kyla Martin is a 17 year old girl with an IQ of 247. In the potential timeline, Kyla finds a journal dated 2094 from Jay Stein, the father of time travel in the next 16 hours. With her being a genius and in possession of the journal, she creates time travel 74 years earlier than this timeline. The time traveling ship will be stolen by Andrew Rioch who will use it to change history and tear at the fabric of the space time continuum.”

I finished for S.K.A.I. saying, “Our mission is to make sure she does not get her hands on the journal. It should be simple, the journal is located in a box in the right corner of the attic. We’re in, we’re out, understood.” Nods all around.

“Good,” I said, “Let’s suit up.” We waited till nightfall to retrieve the journal.

“I know I can’t see very well right now but red converses Kyle,” Jess

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snorted, “so does not go with that pumpkin shirt .”

“Jess let’s be nice,” Zara offered giving a warm smile, “Kyle can pull anything he wants.” Kyle gave Zara a small smile before turning to me.

“The camouflage is disabled from the bomb,” Kyle said, “the ship will be out there for anyone to see.”

“How are we supposed to explain a giant spaceship in the middle of Central Park,” said Jess looking pointedly at me.

“Aliens?” “...Aliens,” Blake said slowly testing the lie, “that sounds good. Humans are gullible and stupid.”

“You know the extends to you,” Jess said.

“I know,” Blake shot back. Luckily no one was walking by as we exited the ship, and didn’t seem like anyone was going to come around. We came upon Kyla’s one-story suburban home. Everyone made it up into the attic without making a sound, which was impressive for some of us (Kyle).

Everything was going to plan. It was a first.

“I see the box,” Zara whispered moving toward it. The next second she dropped. I rushed over to her alarmed when I heard two more bodies hit the ground. I was turning when I felt a prick in the side of my neck. My eyes grew heavy, and I clawed at my neck to find the source. It was a tranq dart.

Should have seen this coming, I thought, nothing ever goes according to plan. My next thought was panic, we ran out of time. I couldn’t dwell on our failure as my feet gave way, hardwood under my body. The last thing I saw before my eyes fell shut was a pair of red shoes standing in front of me.

When I woke up, I had to admit, I was in a pleasant change of scenery.

Sarcasm. I was in a jail cell.

Cassandra Phan is a freshmen at Homestead High School. Some of her favorite things to do are reading, crushing the patriarchy, and eating pizza. She believes in the magic of books. One day she will have better things to write about herself.

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SAFE, BUT NOT FOR LONG CHRISTOPHER PHAN

I remember when walking home from school on a cool spring day. It was back when I was back in 8th grade. I didn’t know if it was a good idea to enter the house at that very moment because I just bombed my math final.

I didn;t know why I failed it because I spent the last two days preparing for it. But it was what it was. I was afraid of going home because my mom is quite scary. No!!! Really scary when I failed any type of test that is big. Just by thinking about it, I nearly lost my balance. I was so afraid that I nearly went to my aunt’s house to stay for a couple of hours, but I didn’t have the guts to do so. However, after 30 minutes of thinking through the situation I am in, I sucked it up and went home.

Coming home that day, I slowly opened the door to my house, but the door made a really loud squeaky noise that could be heard throughout the entire house. I started to panic and ran up the stairs hoping my mom doesn’t know that I am home yet. I ran quickly as possible, hoping she didn’t hear me when I closed my door and locked the room. I realized at that moment when I enter my room it smell like bitter, but also sweet at the same time. At that exact moment I knew it was lemon. Oh boy! I knew my

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mom went into my room and used my Laptop. I was doomed, but there was a 5% chance I wasn’t because she could be using it for work. I let out a sigh of relief. Relief felt like all the heat exiting my body and bucket of ice was poured over my head.

So I calmed down until my mom screamed like Chewbacca. She was saying, “Chris come down stair fast!!!”. I slowly walked down stairs, sweating like I was taking a really hot shower. My surroundings began to build up pressure that was think almost making it super hard to breathe. The pressure that I was feeling consisted of an extreme amount of heat, like cooking yourself on a frying pan. But moments later, the room has cooled down and I became ice cold when I found out that my mom was asking for help because my pet dog peed on the floor. She told me take care of it. I was so relieved that she didn’t find out just yet. So I cleaned up the mess and had to teach my dog to go pee outside the house. Luckily, my mom didn’t find out until 5 days later, by the time I got yelled at I didn’t care anymore.

Christopher Phan is a senior at Homestead High school. His greatest achievement so far is he is still alive today. His favorite thing to do is play basketball and watch movies. He believes that one day he will sleep in peace because his dog would always jump on him at 6:45 in the morning. One day he will find peace.

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WHAT HAPPENED TO KIT DE LA CRUZ? ALFONSO PITCO

The marks on Kit’s neck were as dark as the night sky, but no moon nor stars. Iris and Cam were transfixed. The marks were shaped as hands and wrapped around the young boy’s neck. Kit retched violently, someone was suffocating him. Kit jerked around on the couch, trying to fend off an unseen entity.

Kit’s face turned as if blood had showered his face, and his eyes were flooded with tears. His feet ascended off the floor, and his body was violently pulled off the couch and into open space. Kit hovered upside down above the locked eyes of Iris and Cam. His arms extended into a long wingspan and his feet pointed towards the ceiling.

“Let him go!” Cam commanded. “Let him go, goddamn it! I said let him go, righ-.” A loud snap erupted.

Kit’s body fell to floor, with his head twisted like a bottle cap. Iris let out a bloodcurdling scream and sobbed to the floor, crying out Kit’s name. Cam was speechless. He couldn’t believe what he just witnessed. Unlike Iris, he has never seen death. Iris’s sobs echoed across the living room.

A large bang interrupted the two’s sorrow. They both jumped, and investigated the room for what had caused the sudden sound. It happened again. And again. And again, until one of the windows shattered. A dead crow dropped in, as the glass flew across the room. The banging grew rap-

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idly and louder. A murder fluttered around the house. Their non-stop cawing pierced the two’s ears. They jumped as more windows began to shatter, and their beaks penetrated through the walls. The murder stopped.

Everything was quiet again. They just dropped to ground, lifeless. Dead crows in every corner, here and there.

Oblivious to Iris and Cam, there was Kit, standing behind them, with his head still twisted. They turned around to the cracking sounds. Their bodies grew cold from watching his head turning to its original position by itself.

His eyes were nothing but black. His face was expressionless. His body was still.

“You can’t,” Kit suddenly spoke, but in a deep, distorted voice.

Iris Samuel and Cam Bennett were found dead two days later. Kit de la Cruz’s whereabouts currently remain unknown.

Alfonso Pitco is a freshman of Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is coming out and being comfortable with his sexual orientation. His favorite thing to do is to watch movies, filmmaking, and writing. He believes that the world should be free of discrimination, whether it be towards race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, education level, and so on. One day, he will become involved in working with film, and help change the world.

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THE HUNT ALFONSO PITCO

I get the ball. We are down by one point. A girl is charging at me. Her eyes are hungry, and I am like a gazelle being hunted by a lion. I need a pass, a way to get rid of this ball.

I hear her calling for the ball. I look up and see Bailey, running as fast as the wind. She calls my name but my body won’t allow me to pass to her.

There is no way Bailey is getting the ball from me. Not today. My heart takes over the game. I play the ball to my teammate to the right instead.

Suddenly my body is slammed into as the lion devours me.

I shake it off as she moves to her next target. As I begin to raise my head, I see the ball being moved down the field. Sadly there is no goal. Should I have passed to Bailey? No. Not when I know she will always choose the others over me. Bailey betrayed my trust and I cannot forgive her. Forget the lion. I her and how can I trust her when I know Bailey will never care for me the same way she does for the others. She says she cares about me but she doesn’t.

I don’t care if I cost us this game. It’s about revenge and she must pay.

Eden Pollitt is currently a freshman in highschool. Her greatest achievement so far is traveling to Phoenix, Arizona to play in a soccer showcase tournament. She is also very proud of becoming an officer of the Women’s Empowerment Ambassadors

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painting failure //waverly qiu // 22

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painting failure WAVERLY QIU

Fear is painting the last red flower on a canvas covered in beautiful oily pigment. The brush hits the canvas, bending slowly, gracefully, as the artist transfers just the right amount of paint in just the right area. Red will look brilliant against the orange poppies, the artist thinks, forming one petal, two petals with a delicate smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Yet, as the brush comes around, circling the black center of the flower a third time, the petal becomes too large. A single drop of sweat trickles down the artist’s face and she brushes it away, taking a moment to recollect herself. The petal is too large, too noticeable, too obvious a failure, and she decides to make the other petals bigger. She adds length to the petals she had previously painted, agast to see that some are still larger than others.

With trembling brush strokes, she paints and paints and paints, causing petal after petal to grow, causing poppies, sunflowers, and wild grass to disappear behind billowing curtains of red until at last -- red is all that she sees. Perfection drives fear.

She takes a step back to survey the red landscape. Desastre Roja, “Red Disaster�, she decides to title it, throwing a rough tarp vehemently over the painting. There are only a few more weeks until the showcase and, looking over to the calendar hanging on the otherwise blank wall, this painting marked the sixth missed deadline. She picks up her red architect pencil

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and begins the all-too-familiar process of rescheduling and adding to the flurry of arrows and circles on the once white calendar. There isn’t time for this, she thinks as she crosses out “FINISH PIECE�.

She grabs the tarp-covered canvas and heads down to the basement, the dreaded walk of shame. The only source of light is the single fluorescent light that hangs in the middle of the dark room and she gives the cord a deft pull. Tarp covered canvases surround her and she looks for an empty spot to place the newest addition to the room.

Out of the corner of her eye, the smallest flash of yellow, the warmest sunshine, catches her attention. She turns and sees the yellow-splattered canvas peeking out of its fabric enclosure, wanting to escape, wanting to brighten the room. Urged suddenly to touch the soft yellow, she pulls the tarp off of it, reveling in the glow the color exudes. So this is what has been under the tarp, she thinks. She sets the yellow canvas down and begins to pull off the tarps, slowly at first but then faster and faster, with the same passion she had had as a young artist, a longing to immerse herself in color. Reds, greens, blues flash by her eyes and the purples and oranges are even more brilliant, the light of the fluorescent bulb getting dimmer with every uncovered canvas. She clings on to as many of the canvases as she can and makes her way up and out of the basement.

Setting the canvases down, she begins to see the blues swirl around the violets, and the magentas holding the yellows close. There are too many canvases, too many possibilities and she begins to run, uncovering canvases faster than she had ever run before. She watches as Desastre Roja, Desastre Amarillo, Desastre Blanko settle into their new role in the midst of the greens and pinks and breaks out into a huge grin. She grabs the calendar and rips the red-marked page off of it.

Realizing imperfection is the beginning of the dissolution of fear.

Waveley Qiu is a (soon-to-be) college freshman. Her greatest achievement so far has been almost making it through high school. Her favourite thing to do is spend unplanned hours talking with a friend about anything and everything. She believes that while humor is essential and an unique gift to humanity, contemplative thought is also necessary, as when beliefs or motives are questioned and challenged, individual growth can begin. One day she hopes to look back and know that she has become someone that her 18-year-old self is proud of.

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the past is a shadow // jay rainton // 22 the roller coaster // christopher reed // 24 the kid with big dreams //jose rios // 22 the patent // david root // 24 an eagle in the sky // pamela robles // 24 jack // gabriel rodriguez // 24 home smells like apple pies // jiliane saputra // 24

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the past is a shadow jay rainton

I wake up to the noise of my alarm buzzing and the sun’s rays shining on my face. Today’s the biggest day for my high school soccer career. I pack my bags to get ready to go to school and hang with my friends. I text my friends about how we are going to go grab a bite to eat during lunch to celebrate this big day. When we get to our favourite restaurant I order the usual Caesar salad to stay fit for later today. However, today’s salad seemed to be a bit more flavorful and filling. My taste buds tingled and my mouth watered. After the day is over we head over to the soccer field and prepare ourselves to face against Gunn High School in the national championship. I do my usual routine of juggling the ball on my foot and wrapping myself in athletic tape to psyche myself up. The announcer finally calls us to the field and I head over to the center field to start the game. The whistle blows and I felt my legs jolt as if it was controlling me. As time goes by, the game is tied up 1 to 1 and we are in the final minutes of the game. My teammate sees a wide open pass to me down the middle of the field. I raced for the ball and dribbled it past not one, but four defenders and headed straight for the goal. I could hear my heart pounding, my teammates cheering for me, and my coach yelling with excitement. As I lined up to take the shot, all the

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thoughts in my head disappeared and the only thing left was me, the goal, and the goalkeeper. I shot the ball with everything I had and it bounced off the post and into the goal. The stadium roared and the ground was shaking. My mouth started to curl up into a big smile and everyone came to the field to celebrate with me. I bask in the glory and believe that this time, this moment, is everything I lived for.

Then I woke up from my desk, realizing that I have come back to reality.

I am not a soccer player in highschool anymore. I am just a regular middle aged man sitting behind a desk working for a company, just like any other person would.

Jay Rainton is a senior at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is surviving Biology. His favourite thing to do is playing sports. He believes that coding will lead to the future. One day he will learn about the wonders of the world.

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the roller coaster christopher reed

“And it went up and up and up till it peaked at the top. The first carriages went over the hump. All the passengers could hear was the clicking of the wooden tracks under the carriages and the sound of the wind whistling through their ears. And then down, down-” In that moment the little girl slipped out of her mom’s firm grip and stopped in the aisle. “Can you tell me that part again?”

“Malia, that’s the third time today,” the mom complained as she inspected the prices of the groceries she selected as if her life depended on it. For several moments the two drudged down the aisle. Malia’s oversized pants dragged on the dirty linoleum floor. Malia’s despair did not last long as she was soon zooming through the aisles grabbing as many groceries as her small hands could carry. Her mom let her put them in the broken cart; one of its wheels spun in circles no matter what direction the cart was pushed in.

Referring back to the roller coaster, Malia spoke up: “I just like the ascent, the build up, the energy! The descent is not as exciting!” Not waiting for a response, she sprinted off to find more groceries.

Watching Malia bound down the aisle, her mom let out a heavy sigh and took out all the groceries Malia had put in and hid them behind a display.

She didn’t wait for her to return. Her shoulders hung low and her mood

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was darker than the tired, deep circles under her eyes. Looking around she saw reflections of herself pushing a cart just like hers.

“What a sad, sad place.”

All through the check out, Malia’s mom held her daughter’s hand tightly.

Malia squirmed playfully to escape the grip, but her mom was not letting go. wAs the two walked out of the food bank, Malia’s mom looked down at her daughter who was, as always, looking forward.

“It can’t always be exciting, Malia. Things go downhill as well.”

Christopher Reed is a senior at Homestead High School who plans to attend the University of California, Los Angeles this fall. His greatest achievement so far is becoming a Valedictorian at Homestead. His favorite thing to do is to compete in Cross Country competitions across California. He believes that all students should have the opportunities that he has had during high school: music education, athletics and top tier academics. One day he will improve the issue of water quality in developing nations by studying the intersection of biology and the environment.

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the kid with big dreams jose rios

A motivated 17 year old with big dreams has a few obstacles that he has to overcome to reach his full potential in the sport he loves. Khalifa a while back received an injury that kept him out of soccer while playing a soccer match on a Saturday cold and windy morning after waking up from a deep sleep where all he could dream about was the big opportunity coming his way, after he worked hard to recover and make it back into the field his biggest fear was coming back into the game and not reaching his full potential and would make himself look bad, the fear that this keep was experiencing was too much to handle he was afraid to let everyone down before the game he did his richuals which was to pray as he always did so he got on one knee and put his hands and the air and ask the Lord to be with him at all times a little while after he broke down in tears with all the pressure and was second doubting himself about if he was good enough to play or not but he knew the man upstairs would not let him down and with that confidence he gain by knowing that he knew that with the strength the Lord had given him no one would be able to stop him. Khalifa was determine to do whatever it took to reach the highest level in soccer and so he work hard everyday and made sure he was always the best no matter what and that’s what made him stand out and reach his dream.

Jose Rios is a senior at homestead high school, and one of my greatest achievement was receiving the MVP award for high school soccer last year. My favorite thing to do is play soccer. I believe that with hard work pays off. One day i will like to have a family and be fully secure of myself.

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THE PATENT david root

Karat sat in his chair in his warehouse thinking, “I hope this doesn’t happen to me again.” He had just been sued for patent infringement on one of his new designs. He was typing up some more ideas with nothing in mind. As he went home that day in his tattered rusty pickup truck, he watched a cat running by the road chasing a rodent of some sort. He suddenly thought to himself, “Why don’t I try making THIS?”. He turned and sped back to his little office warehouse and furiously typed on his computer. He yelled in delight when he saw that no one else had made the patent yet.

He suddenly turned around to see the same cat sitting behind him, next to an open door. Or maybe it was a different cat. He couldn’t tell. All he knew was that the cat was staring blankly at him. Time had passed. Maybe a minute? He didn’t know. When he regained his senses, the cat was gone. Was he imagining things? He knew he hadn’t eaten since yesterday.

No, the cat was definitely there. But now the door was closed. He didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. As he dismissed this as a random occurrence and turned back around to work on his blueprint, he saw the computer, all dusty. Had it been that dusty the whole time? Either way, he couldn’t fix it. He had to work on his blueprint.

The next week, people found a starved, scarred body in an abandoned warehouse with traces of bobcat hair.

David Root is a freshman at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is building a plane. His favorite thing to do is building things. He believes in capitalism because he knows human nature throws every other type of economy off-track more than Capitalism does.

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an eagle in the sky pamela robles

My dad is an eagle in the sky. Soaring high in the clouds with massive wings, breaking wind like a surfer breaks through waves. He’s an electric eagle. An eagle that has taken thousands of people to thousands of places.

He began his journey as this electric eagle in the mountains of Guatemala.

My uncles taught him how to take control of the air and maneuver through the sky. They took food and supplies from our sweet small town and flew to the mysterious green mountains in the distance. They left these supplies to the indigenous people who lived in these mountains in small wood and mud houses. He loved flying and helping others in the process. Until one day in just a split second he lost control of his wings. With a flash of fire he found himself unable to move under the wreckage that was his airplane.

For years he remained a wounded eagle unable to spread his wings. Now he is slowly but surely making his way back up to the sky. Waiting patiently for the day where he can soar through the clouds again.

Pamela Robles is a student at Homestead. Her greatest achievement is balancing school and work since she was 15. Her favorite thing to do is draw and chill. She believes in adventure and one day she’ll travel the world.

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JACK

gabriel rodriguez

Jack is a young man who is living a good life, His father, Arnold, had accomplished something his years that had made him very successful.

Since his father had completed so much in his time, Jack can basically get what he wants. Jack hopes that since he’s rich, that can help him with want he wants to do and what he wants to go to college and explore the world while searching for the right career. Jack is somewhat of a spoiled brat, he can easily get what he would want, Girls,Cars,Video Games, but the only thing he wants is to hang out with his father but he can’t because his father he is the CEO of a high tech company and since he’s the CEO, It’s hard for him to hang out since he’s always busy.

Jack has a lot of ideas that he and his father can do once his father is done. He wants to hang out with his father, go to a Vacation to do snowboarding or go swim in the beach with turtles and sharks. He’s Father’s business could prevent Jack from getting what he wants. His Father’s schedule is always full and busy. Jack doesn’t have a good relationship with his father, they both never really see each other with him at work and Jack always at school. All jack wants is at least a decent relationship with his father. Jack hopes that his plans can help him with his relationship with his father, creating a stronger bond.

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Jack wakes up in his room and realizes that his father left to work. Jack asks his Butler to take him to his father’s company. As Jack and His butler are heading to the industry. His Father is having a meeting with his board members about a new product. Jack makes it and tells his butler to wait in the car and his Butler agrees. Jack goes inside and talks to the Receptionist, asking where his father is. He also asks when his father will be available.

After two long hours, Jack’s Butler fell asleep in the car or limo. Jack is waiting in the waiting center and his father is finally out. He goes to talks to him and asks him if they can finally hang out, giving his father ideas about going to the movies or Bowling. Jack then remember that he has tickets to a shark’s game. Jack’s father has this sad look in his face, telling Jack that he won’t be able to do any of that kind of stuff since he’s always busy. Jack’s Facial expressions are mixed, with anger and sadness in it and just leaves.

His Father asks Jack to come back but he left so early.

Jack goes back home with his butler. Thinking of what to do. His friend, Gabriel, texted him saying that he is terrifically bored. Jack then gets an idea that he can hang out with Gabriel. Jack then tells Gabriel that if they wanted to meet and hang out because Jack has he sharks game tickets.

Gabriel says yes and they both hang out. When they hang out, Jack tells Gabriel his problems with his father, saying that doesn’t appreciate him, but Gabriel tells Jack that he does, it just that his father is always busy, since he’s the CEO of a high tech company, He is taking responsibility. Jack then understand why his father can never hang out with him. Jack decides to apologize to his father.

Jack decides to go again to his father company, wanting to apologize to his father. Jack tells his Butler to take again to his father’s company. They both go to the company. Jack once again tells his father’s company. They both go to the company. Jack once again tells his Butler to wait in the Limoo. Jack goes inside and talks to the receptionist if he can go and see his father, in which the receptionist says that Jack’s Father is available right

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now. Jack then goes on an elevator and goes up, all the way to his father’s office. Jack then makes it and see’s the door. He goes up to the door, afraid to knock it but he does it anyways. He goes inside saying “Dad are you in here?”,. Suddenly a door opens and It’s Arnold, Jack’s Father, all wearing a hawaiian shirt,shorts and sandal, telling jack that they’re going to miss their flight to Hawaii. Jack then smiles and says that he’s sorry for pushing his father to hang out with him, but his father says that jack was right and that he shouldn’t let work ruin his bond with his son. They both go downstairs, outside where their butler is waiting for them.

Gabriel Rodriguez is a student in Homestead High School.

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home smells like apple pies pamela robles

My home smells like fresh apple pie and Vanilla Ice Cream. That reason is, because My mother always made apple pie, like homemade apple pie.

She would have so ingredients to make the pie and it sometimes turns out good, at other times, it would turn out bad and burned . If the pie was looking good, then we would also buy Vanilla Ice Cream from the store because pie was always good with ice cream as well. When you mix both those things, you get something very special

Jiliane Saputra is a student at Homestead Highschool.

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step by step // kevin salesman // 24 tryouts // matthew schurz // 22 the unwritten book // david shepard // 24 spiders are scary // elnaz shahri // 22 crash // vicky shinkawa // 24 plastic furniture // isabel serrato // 24 our main attraction // erin slaney // 24 a mask // edina starcevic // 24

step by step kevin saltzman

I hadn’t been outside of the St. Vincent’s household for kids in my lifetime.

My years of being a “cute” kid were long behind me and no parents look for edgy teenagers. For eighteen long excruciating years I watched my brothers and sisters walk down the office hall to fill out their release forms hand in hand with their new parents. I’ve never made it this far down the hall before and each step felt like a mile flew under my feet.

Every step carried a flashback. I looked to my right and my first ever painting was framed on the wall. The edges were crumpled from the apple juice I spilled on it and the center was filled with smears and scribbles of all kinds of markers. The nuns, despite yelling the rules every minute, at least appreciated the effort.

I prayed each night that one day I could call a woman “Mom” instead of Mother Mary. As time zoomed by I prayed less and less, until I wasn’t even praying at all. During class I was one of the oldest, then after the others were relocated I was the oldest so the teachers had their own special assignments for me. I had no help for completing the Jesus filled papers and afterwards they made me freshen up the place like I was the groundskeeper.

I took another step closer to the office door with my paintings under my left arm and a bag full of books which I had stolen from the library. It

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felt nice to get a little revenge afterall. I don’t even remember signing the release forms, everything turned into a blur and the next thing i know I’m out on the sidewalk with $20 in my pocket. It was my eighteenth birthday.

The bus ticket was $2.50 and as I sat there on the dirty old bus seat where the fear of reality struck. I didn’t know what to do. My heart was pumping, my palms were dripping sweat, and the bus felt like a upside rollercoaster.

The walls were spinning in place and my stomach was cramping through the inside out, I knew I had to leave the bus. I reached up and gripped the stop cable as hard as I could. I stumbled off the bus and ran into the crusty bathroom in the closest 7/11. The vomit left my body in clumps and each clump was more painful than the last. I don’t remember the last time I was sick maybe it was a sign to turn back. Maybe this was the lord cursing me for not keeping up with my prayers. Maybe these are my nerves getting to me.

I walked out of the bathroom looking never to return and felt bad for the poor guy who has to clean up that mess. I bought some ginger ale, water, a blanket, and a microwavable rice pack. I walked up to the counter and the cashier asked me, “Is that all sir? The powerball is up to $12 billion as of date and the winning ticket is still out there.” I knew I was getting ripped off and my total amount of cash left over was $3.50. The cashier wouldn’t bag any of my stuff until I bought the lottery ticket so I did. I planned to sell the remaining paintings I had to make enough bus money to the next city. The young blonde freckled face cashier was bouncing in place as he explained that the winning numbers were released in 5 minutes. The both of us stood there and glanced at the 6 inch by 6 inch box tv as the numbers rolled out into the announcers hand.

They say you’ll have better odds getting struck by lightning three times in one day than winning the powerball. I checked my ticket at least ten times thinking this was some sort of joke. All of my life I didn’t believe in miracles until now.

Kevin Saltzman is an incoming Freshman at WSU. His greatest achievement is stepping out of his comfort zone. His favorite thing to do is play basketball watch netflix and sleep in that order. He believes that if you want something, go get it.

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tryouts mathew schurz

I was sweaty from the drill we just played, and my breathing was steadying as we gathered in a group. Thinking back to my less than stellar performance on the court, I was nervous. Mike Rubin, the coach for the 18-1s team walked out with a vast amount of papers in his hand, papers all the players knew held a decision that would define their lives for the next couple of months. Having a quick flashback to previous seasons, I thought of the familiar piece of paper that would either say, “you’ve been offered a spot on this team,” or “there isn’t space for you on this team,” or something along those lines. After every tryout I was always nervous, it wasn’t just club volleyball, I would be nervous at the post school tryouts as well, so I wasn’t surprised by the butterflies in my stomach. Standing next to a couple people that were on my team last season, we joked around and talked about how we played during the tryouts, comparing what went right and what went wrong. Little did I know something was about to go very wrong.

Mike started calling names out in random order so you couldn’t really tell whether or not you made it. The uncertainty made the anticipation that much more real. A couple of my friends got called up, and one by one they headed over to one of two areas, an area where the 1s team gathered and an area where the 2s team gathered. Most of my friends/past teammates got called up before me and headed over to the 2s team area, a couple

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to the 1s team which made me ecstatic, but I had yet to be called. I made eye contact with one of my bestfriends who was going over to the 2s team, and smiled. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mike look at me and call my name.

Walking up to him was terrifying. I tried to read the coaches face for any sign of empathy, or encouragement, I was met with neither as he looked down at the next paper to read the next player’s name. On the way up to him I scanned over my friends faces, some looking at me, some talking amongst their newly formed teams. Once Mike handed me the piece of paper, I slowly opened it and looked down.

I’ve never been broken up with. I’ve never had one of my pets die.

I’ve never experienced the pain of breaking a bone, but to me all those paled in comparison to the crushing defeat of rejection. When I opened my letter I looked down and read, “at this time we do not have a space for you on a team”. I looked up from my paper to one of my best friends and tried to form a lighthearted smile. My stomach clenched, and it got cold. I started coming up with excuses in my head as to why this could be a positive thing while walking to my bag. I wanted to walk over to the 2s team with my friends so badly, but I had failed. I didn’t try my best at tryouts, I didn’t give it my all, and that piece of paper was the price I had to pay for my weakness. I’ll never forget the feeling of my friends’ eyes on my back as I walked back to my bag, instead of joining them.

Matthew Schurz is a senior at Homestead High School

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an unwritten book david shepherd

“The future is a still to be written book.” My Mom explained to me. “You get to choose what gets written in it. If you put in the effort, you can write beautiful things in it. If you don’t put in any effort and you procrastinate on your homework like you every night, the book will turn into the story of The Kid Who Worked at McDonalds. You don’t want that.”

I knew that. We’ve had this same conversation time after time again after I forgot to do my homework. Every time I got to school and come back home with an “oops, I forgot” face on, we have this talk.

“Play now, work later.” I thought to myself. “I don’t need to learn this stuff anyways.” When in my life will I need to solve a quadratic formula in my life? It’s not like some cop is going to pull me over and give me a pop quiz on this stuff one day.

“Your dad and I are going to go over the consequences for this kind of stuff. It’s been going on for far too long.” Mom said “In the meantime, do your homework and go to your room.”

I trudged off to my room and sat down on my bed. I didn’t want to do my homework, that was boring. I’d rather do anything than that. I ran through what would happen if I put it off until tomorrow morning. I had about an hour to get ready for school, I could fit some math into there. But then I wouldn’t have time to play video games.

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“Ahh, I’ll decide tomorrow.” I said aloud. My eyes were getting heavy and I layed back in bed. I didn’t feel like doing this kind of stuff now, I’ll make an entry in the book later. It can wait. I closed my eyes and turned on my side waiting for tomorrow.

David Shepard is a 15 year old human, and a freshman at Homestead High. He likes globs of Nutella, Pirate’s booty, and pretty much any food your mom won’t buy for you. He believes someday, somewhere someone will invent reusable toilet paper, for the good of all mankind. One day he will live the life of a dog. Pee on the floor, scratch the furniture, and live for a day in a pen.

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spiders are scary elnaz shehni

Fear sounds like spiders. Whenever they are mentioned, you get this weird feeling in your stomach, and feel sick. Just like no one wants spiders , no one wants fear.

Some spiders could kill, and some fears could ruin lives, neither are wanted; both are dangerous.

The only thing we fear is fear itself - and spiders.

You never know when to expect to find one. They could be crawling in every corner without you noticing and when you do, your body starts shaking, sweating and not knowing how to react.

Elnaz shehni is a 9th grade student at Homestead High School. She enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music and shopping. Her favorite thing to do is listen to music .She believes that her greatest achievements are yet to be determined and that nothing is impossible if you set your mind into it. She speaks Persian, Turkish, English and is learning French. One day she hopes to be a happy and successful person.

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CRASH vicky shinkawa

All she heard was a squeal before she felt it. Pain. Everywhere. The jolt of the impact jarred her body, a moment of weightlessness. Then the airbag deployed, slamming into her face and her side. More pain. Noise.

Screaming. Too close. Glass shattered all around her, painful rain cutting her face and neck. Something warm is dripping down her face. She wipes it off and looks at it. Her fingers. Crimson. More screaming. Too loud.

The whine of a siren blending in with screams, creating horrible dischords.

She tries to open the door. Stuck. Trapped. She wants to get out. Tears stream down her face mixing with the blood. The cuts burn, but nothing compares to the pain in her leg. Thump. Someone is pulling her out of the car. She doesn’t understand. Leg. Pain. Burning. She looks down, a shard of metal is embedded in her leg. Screams. Mixing with the burn and the sirens and the pain and the blood and the glass. Too much. She’s put on a stretcher. She looks at the cars. Wrapped around each other like two lovers embracing. Crushed metal. Broken glass. Blue and red lights casting harsh shadows. Darkness tinges the edges of her vision. Someone is telling her to stay awake. Don’t sleep. Sleep. Let go. She closes her eyes and everything, the noise, the lights, the pain, disappear.

Vicky Shinkawa is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is keeping her fish alive longer than a year. Her favorite thing to do is watch movies and hang out with friends. One day she hopes to continue her education and go to college.

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plastic furniture (be afraid) isabel serrato

Fear tastes like a grapefruit eaten whole, no sugar, burning down your throat.

It’s fear that drives us, fear of being seen, fear of being embarrassed, fear of being known for the wrong things. it makes us careful it makes us into paper masks where the quality is judged on how uniform it was designed. Because school school is a dollhouse with everyone on display, plastic molded into furniture, everything perfect, so why aren’t you perfect too?

Why don’t you sit in molds at night, fit the size, fit the mind? school smells like fear, like a display case, like floral perfume tinged with blood.

Tick tock, tick tock, look your best, feel your worst be afraid.

Isabel Serrato is currently a freshman at Homestead High School. She loves her two cats, Peek and Boo. Her favorite things to do are knit and crochet, along with play bass clarinet in the school marching band. She believes that marching band is a way of life. One day, Isabel will eventually write a book and finish knitting her blanket.

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our main attraction ERIN SLANEY

Fear tasted like a bitter rock, impossible to swallow. The chills crawling down my spine, the haunting feeling of being alone. I’m cold, way too cold for it to be healthy, with icy breaths. I stand up, feeling as if my bones would crack under me. My feet sore and tired. I knew I had to keep moving or else I would be out of luck. I take one last breath and fell asleep for the last time. My dreams hold me tight like a warm hug that can’t seem to shake my chills. I saw the land I came from in my dreams, I saw my mom, then I saw her die, again. I look up and I see the glass walls of the inclosure, those small apes always pressing their faces up against the glass. All I wanted was to go home, and be with my family. I shake and I know I have a short time before I join my mother. I want the chanting to stop, the looking to stop, the pain to stop. I hear them announce one last time, “Come see the Polar Bear! It’s our main attraction!”. That’s all I am to them, an attraction. I just wanted to be free, and in the zoo I never was, but now as I die I can be free.

Erin Slaney is a freshman at Homestead High. She loves to laugh, smile, and play water polo. Erin will always be proud of her ability to make other people laugh. She believes that everyday can be great, if you want it to be. One day she will be a highschool teacher, trying to make the class love to live.

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A MASK EDINA STARCEVIC

People are like a mask. Unidentified, unknown, mysterious. No one knows who you are just by looking at you. But they think they do. It depends on how you present yourself. A mask with flowers and hearts, then your probably a happy good person. But deep down inside, that person might be dark, so dark you couldn’t understand . You might have knives or guns on your mask but inside they might be good. Maybe they act hard because inside they are insecure. Then there’s me. On my mask, I have too much to be understood. When people look at me I’m what they say confusion. I’m a mixture of emotions.

On my mask I have a car, a swing, a pill, a smile, and a flower. Just by looking at the mask you can’t really tell who I am. But if you were to get to know me you would know that my life could’ve ended with a car. Instead of me,this car ended my mom’s life… Depression kicked in so I turned to pills. Pills calmed me down. I wish it was me instead of mom. But then my life turned around when I met a boy, this boy’s mask was understanding, it was nice. I was on a swing and he stepped in and gave me a flower, he told me I was beautiful. And just like that I had a smile on my face, it’s been so long since I had one of those. We got closer and he started listening to me.

I would never have thought that’d be the way I met my husband.

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Edina Starcevic is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is memorizing Beyonce’s new album “Lemonde”. She loves to sleep in, dance preferably to Beyonce music, and go to the beach. In the future she hopes to become famous in any way possible, but if that doesn’t happen she’ll most likely become a nurse or dermatologist.

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smile for the camera // claire tang // 22 seconds // ken tint // 24 warped mirrors // jillian trinh // 24 late night thoughts // erin tsai // 24 that gave you cancer? let’s hope you die from it. // james tripp // 24

smile for the camera claire tang

“Aria, look at me!”

“Smile for the camera, beautiful girl!”

“Thanks, you all make me so happy,” responded Aria as she giggled and blew kisses to the crowd and paparazzi. She grinned and waved to the flashing lights, but her plastered smile faded as she rolled up the window and her chauffeur drove past the gilded gates leading toward her estate.

She unlocked the door, as it was past midnight so her maid was already in the guest house 3 acres away. She sauntered past her two winding staircases and the first elevator, but went up the second. The Swarovski crystals of the grand chandelier gleamed off of all the crisp marble flooring and her shelves and shelves of glistening awards and golden records as she glided by. Instead, she stopped at the end of the hall, where she had framed a ripped and faded page written in crayon that read: “What is your definition of happiness? Happiness is when I am famous singer and live in a big house with cool things and a dog. Love, Ariana” Yet, her records and awards turned blurry and she remained unblinking, until she could no longer see: her eyes overflowed, and a tear broke free, rolling down her cheek. One by one, then all at once, the rest followed in an endless river. She smashed the framed diary entry, and hundreds of shards of glass flew in all directions. She collapsed onto the ground, sur-

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rounded by the shattered pieces, as she broke down in a full sob.

As her shoulders began shuddering less and less and her breath returned to a controlled pace, she slowly got up on her weak limbs and stumbled into the bathroom.

She gazed at her reflection in the mirror: the girl she saw, with mascara streaking down her face and pain in her eyes, looked broken.

She opened the medicine cabinet.

Claire Tang is a senior at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is meeting a corgi. Her favorite thing to do is write songs and play them on the guitar.

She finds value in learning about the cultures of small towns through speaking with local residents. She hopes to one day help others speak openly about mental health issues associated with body image and eating disorders.

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SECONDS KEN TINT

I stared at the second hand of the clock as it kept going forward. Tick.

It was boring being alone with my thoughts. Tock. I tried to think of what I did for fun. Though lately my whole life is being filled with work. I have no time for fun anymore. Tick. There must have been something though, right? Tock. Nothing seemed to come to mind. Last week was just work.

The week before was much the same. Tick. A few months ago, an interview.

Before that, the memory seemed to be just a shimmer of vapor in the burning desert of life. Tock. It was frustrating to think that all my life added up to be a forgettable grey working day. Tick. I began to think further back and found an oasis of comfort. Back when work was just a dream through the looking glass. Tock. I remember a friend. When we were both too young to add our ones into two. We played together. We had fun. As we grew up, playing turned into hanging out. My friend had became friends. We were inseparable. We did classes together, explored together, graduated together, and before we knew it, left no more together. We tried to stay close, in contact, but it was not as close as before. We all knew that. All was not as close as it could’ve been. Work, distance, time where people were available. There was too much in between. Tick tock. Tick tock. I looked away from the clock as more time passed by. I was waiting for a call, but it didn’t seem to come. I picked up my phone and scrolled through the

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contact list. Plenty of names appeared, but I was looking for a name in the past. Of them all, I chose one. Tick. Dial tones soon rang into the room as I waited for a response. Tock. It stopped. “Hello?� A voice asked from the other side. I recognized the voice instantly. We used to do this all the time.

I smiled.

Ken Tint is a man of a thousand faces. There is no accomplishment that is the greatest in their opinion, as each accomplishment in itself is great when it is seen relative to some others. Perhaps, however, there is a great sense of accomplishment in creating a layer of discovery for others to find. The belief of creating something that will honor friends and entertain all, is a goal that carries them forward. Because that goal is the strongest connection to the meaning of why they smile. And everyone will want to smile.

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warped mirros JILLIAN TRINH

Sitting in the waiting room, she still had doubts. After five years of waiting, saving portions of checks from her part-time jobs, falling asleep with feelings of dissatisfaction, looking away from mirrors, but staring at passing strangers, the decision of whether to go under the knife was still a difficult one. Was it worth the $10,000? Was it worth the excruciating recovery? Was it worth artificially changing her body? If not, hating herself was an option too. Awakening in the patient’s room following the operation, she looked in the mirror at her swollen and bandaged face and knew that once it healed, she would be beautiful. But she noticed that the surgeons missed a spot; another part of her body needed to be fixed. And another, and another‌

Jillian Trinh is a senior at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is not drowning in a sea of White. Her favorite thing to do is to make costumes. She believes humans are evil, corrupt creatures because they stand on each other to reach the stars. One day she will build a rocket by herself to fly to the moon.

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late night thoughts ERIN TSAI

Fear tastes like cold, hard metal. The metal rusts in my mouth and the only thing stopping me from tasting it is the grinding of my back teeth. It swallows like a piece of plastic, the discomfort squeezing my throat and never letting go. Fear sounds like the buzzing of a bee in my ears and builds into a faint chaotic drumline. The accelerating bass drum crescendos and the sound can’t be shaken out of my head. My mind turns it into the screeching of a thousand violins and the scratching of nails on a chalkboard, like the sounds you would hear in a horror movie where all the signs point for the character to RUN. My mind wants to fight off everything I am feeling but I don’t want anything more than flight. Fear is controlling. It paralyzes my every move and overpowers my brain until I can’t think. All I could do is listen to the sound of my own gasping breath and slow it down.

Everything will be alright.

I live my life in fear. Fear of nothing, but fear of everything in general. I fear for the future and all of its unknown roads ahead of me. I live my life constantly knowing that I could die at moment. But what will I face to-

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morrow? I think of suffocation every time I put my head underwater and I think of falling every time I climb up high. My words stick in the back of my throat and I panic at the thought of asking for anything. Yet these are things I must go through, because in life, everyone goes through them. I fear life, and that will never change.

These are the thoughts that go through my head during the long hours at night. I sit straight up in my bed, not wanting to sleep, for I fear the morning when I have to wake up.

Erin Tsai is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is performing at Carnegie Hall and not embarrassing herself. She loves music, dance, BeyoncĂŠ, and learning new things. She believes in optimism because happiness is always what she is striving for.

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THAT GAVE YOU CANCER? I HOPE YOU DIE FROM IT JAMES TRIPP

Spending time on the internet is like having a mental illness. Both good and bad ideals spread like a cancer, where safe zones lead to corruption.

The ability to moderate a forum or chat, and ban all that oppose or perhaps report them for “harassment” is like closing your country’s borders.

This improper censorship leads to lack of argument. Rather than a place of debate and information, over time the internet became a joke. Now it is more like a place where people stand in a circle and hug each other constantly. The vast ravines of the internet allow for communities of delusional people to form without any challenge.

This process cannot be stopped and it continues to occur until it is brought into real life where it is attacked mercilessly. When a mass of nonsense is met with reason, the users think the world is completely insane.

Interestingly, those on the web love taking pictures of themselves, and ultimately become huge narcissists. Their glorification of two dimensional imagery is odd, since seeing tangible objects is surely more of a defined image. Derealization occurs where the user is so addicted to their social media and dead circulated jokes that they begin to use this language and culture in everyday situations. You may find an addict saying “lol” or “omg” in the middle of English sentences during speech. In the end, spending too much time on online electronics turns kids into idiots.

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James Tripp is a freshman. His greatest achievement so far is surviving. His favorite thing to do is sleep. He believes there is no wage gap because evidently most women just happened to choose lower paying jobs. One day he will die.

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i remember a’gust toussaint

I remember the championship game we needed to win to go to play in the championship games in Walt Disney World for pop warner. They won. He remembers all the excitement at the practices leading up to our extract point. Packing up the night before and the anticipation was overwhelming. The big breakfast meal made it a perfect morning before leaving off.

He was predicting on how everything was going to look like and be like when he arrives. Seeing his teammates was a very exciting moment for him. When boarding the plane I had to get the window seat. Sitting at the window seat and watching the plane taking off at high speed was one of the craziest things i’ve seen. Halfway through the flight i was looking out my window seeing the vast area of ocean water imagining what would happen if the plane crashed in the ocean. remember landing at night in Orlando and walking out the airplane saying to myself i’m really here. I remember seeing all my teammates sprinting for their luggage. I remember boarding a Walt Disney bus that takes us straight to Disney World. I remember going to our rooms and jumping on our beds with so much excitement. I remember our championship games we played which didn’t end so well remem-

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bering how much we got blown out the water. I remember going to all the amusement parks and seeing all the attractions, the food, the people, and the rides. I remember the day we had to leave and noticing we were the last to arrive to Disney World and the last to leave. I remember finally landing back at the San Jose airport at night and riding home and visualizing all the whole trip in Disney World wanting to go back.

a’gust toussaint is a student at homestead high school.

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you never know // tyler vu // 24 combine weekend // maulin vajir // 22

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you never know TYLER VU

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” That quote has stuck with me for my entire life just waiting for all the new surprises and fun that’ll happen in the future. It’s crazy but that’s just how I see to my day. The thing is, lately I’ve been eating too much “chocolate.” I’ve gone through many things lately, which are a constant surprise.

They weren’t even good surprises which is the reason why it bothers me.

Recently, my vision has been fading on what’s reality and what’s not. It’s a bit hard to explain, but I can help with an example. Take a television. It’s a big wide screen TV, maybe, uh, 40 inches. It’s just all black, no significant colors except for a logo on the bottom of the television, for you, it will say Sony, for me, it says something else like LED. I’ve talked to a therapist, apparently I’m a regular? I don’t remember what other times I came. I would surely remember his office, it’s a big place but there’s a lot of paper piled on top of cabinets. I don’t remember anything anymore. I’ve also showed up to doctors to help. I get mad easier than before now, I just get frustrated and I don’t know why. Like when they said something about me insane.

I flipped. It makes me sad sometimes. I hear something about Schizophrenia every now and then but I don’t remember what it means. I’m not sure of anything anymore, one thing I know for sure is that I want to stop eating chocolate. You believe me though right? I hope so.”

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Looks away from the mirror.

Tyler Vu is a freshman at Homestead High School. His greatest achievement so far is performing in front of thousands of people in Dayton, Indianapolis, and playing a solo in front of a crowd. His favourite thing to do is to relax and hang out with friends. He believes in staying positive and being optimistic because no one should be mad. One day he will go to a good college and look back at the memories that he has made.

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combine weekend maulin vajir

It was not just any particular Memorial Day Weekend break. This weekend wasn’t going to be spent at home playing video games or watching movies or nothing at all. People wait for their entire life and still don’t get the chance even if they deserve it. It was combine weekend.

Seventeen year old Riki was one of the best cricketing prospects in the nation and it was his time to show off his skills at the three day USA U19 Cricket Combine down in Los Angeles, California.

The morning of Day 1 for the combine started off with a bang. Riki was up bright and early not wanting to be late. He needed to make a good impression on the coaches. All thirty prospects were kept in the same hotel, many of whom were friends, and some rivals. Meeting up for breakfast together at the Denny’s next to the hotel with teammates setting the mood before the big event. Riki was ready, he knew he had what it takes and that he would be accompanied by many of his local teammates to the next level.

There was still a little time before the bus left for Woodley Cricket Field. But the group decided to get ready and meet in the parking lot with their gear. Riki went back to his room to grab his kit after breakfast.

After all of the things Riki had achieved he looked at his kit and wondered, “Will I be able to make it, Am I good enough?” All the awards and medal sitting in his room, but would that be enough to impress the selectors. These thoughts continued to fluster Riki throughout the day. Day 1,

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the fitness portion of the combine came to an end and the selectors began to take note as to who could potentially be on the team and who they weren’t going to consider anymore.

At least that’s what they wanted the participants and their parents to believe. Most people knew going into the combine that the selectors were corrupt and made the team based on whoever paid them the most. But this time their little scheme would be questioned for sure if Riki was not in the final 14.

Day two was much more relaxing as it was a net session. For Riki, whenever he was in the nets or even when he just had a bat in his hand he was in a different state of mind. All of the distractions were gone the only thing that he could focus on was the bowl in front of him and where he would hit it. No bowler could get him to miss the ball, proving why he was one of the best batsman at the combine.

A game scenario was done for the final day of the combine, which was bad planning by the coaches there and the selection committee since many people flew into Los Angeles and had to catch their return flights.

About half the attendees were leaving early or as soon as the trials were over, including Riki. Halfway through the day it was time, Riki had to catch a flight and he was the first to leave. He walked to the selectors table and said, “Thank you for having me here, it’s been a pleasure to be able to perform in front of you. I hope to hear from you soon.”

Everyday he would check to see if there was an update, sometimes even twice or three times. The anticipation was killing Riki, he just wanted to know who was on the team. It did not matter to him as much whether his name was there but just the fact that the team was out would satisfy him, relieve him of the anxiety. Two weeks went by and it was time for the team to be released. Many of the names expected to be on the list were not there. Those who performed average at best were there. He read it once through, and again, and again. His name was yet to be seen. A final check and there it was under reserves.

Maulin Vajir is an income freshman at UC Santa Cruz. His greatest achievement is his cricketing career where he has represented the North West Region and is recognized nationally for cricket. His favorite thing to do is play sports whether it be cricket, basketball, or football.

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what is the future? // alexandria wang // 24 in the morning // helen wang // 24 tasteless // michael wang // 24 last thread // kaitlyn williams // 24 safe haven // nyah willett // 24

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what is the future? alexandria wang

The future is like the next page of a book, you can guess what will happen, but you won’t know for sure until you get there. From what little experience I had in life, I could guarantee it was true. I was reading this fascinating book, and it was what you call a page turner. I was just reading and reading, which was unusual because I’m not a big reader. My hands were pried off of the pages of the novel, and once they were I started wondering what would happen next. Would the plot change? What would happen to the protagonist? Antagonist?

Meanwhile my older cousin was heading off to college and everyone was talking about her future and I thought about mine. What would happen in the next few years? How would my life turn out? My heart was beating rapidly at the very idea because the honest answer was… I don’t know.

I didn’t know what my plan was or if I even had one.

To calm myself I started to read again. While I was flipping the pages, I realized this dilemma I had was similar to what I had before. I don’t know what will come next, in the book or my future, but I do know that both of them will most definitely be interesting.

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Alexandria Wang is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far has been finding her amazing friends and her favorite thing to do is to spend time with them. She believes people choose their own future because everything a person does, leads them to another. One day she will graduate from high school and college.

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in the morning alexandria wang She wakes up in the morning to the sound of her alarm clock, vibrating a low steady noise that buzzes against her pillow and rings inside her ears.

She wakes up in the morning to the sound of the leaves outside, blowing with the wind and crashing against the panes of her windows. She wakes up in the morning to the sound of her mother downstairs, to the light chime of the toaster and the quick running of the sink and the sharp of the microwave opening, closing, opening, closing. She wakes in the morning to the highway rush of the cars and the trains and the people passing by, she wakes up in the morning to the slow rasp of her steady breathing and the thud-thud-thud of her heart beating and she wakes up in the morning to sounds and she wakes up in the morning to sounds and she wakes up, wakes up, wakes up.

She wakes up in the morning to the sound of her alarm clock, loud and blaring and cutting shrill against her ears. She wakes up in the morning and she wakes up in the morning and she wakes up, to the sunlight harsh against her skin and her eyes tight with clinging and the crashing, thudding, endless noise, noise, noise.

She wakes up in the morning, throat dry with screaming; she wakes every morning, and she goes back to sleep.

Helen Wang is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is surviving math class, and her favourite thing to do is sleep. One day she will have a better greater achievement.

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tasteless micheal wang A 14 year old boy entered the audition room. He was auditioning for his first speaking competition. He was nervous of course, but he had rehearsed his speech hundreds of times, and he knew this was going wasn’t going to be as life changing as getting married or something. He had nothing to lose.

As he walked in, he saw a bald man, a young lady, and two young men.

He knew they were the judges instantly.They stared at him like wolves, intent on what he had to say, but ready to eat him right when he made the wrong move. After he introduced himself, he was ready to speak. He hesitated, and instantly, out of nowhere, his mind went to overload. His nerves rebelled against him. He felt lost, like a seed blown away from the flower, he forgot any sense of logic he had in him. He tried to think, but he thought too much. His heart was a doomed car heading towards an unavoidable cliff. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t prevent it. His mouth was filled with dry, suffocating, cotton.

No words came out.

Michael Wang is a freshman currently attending Homestead High school. His greatest achievement is getting through middle school with good grades. His favourite thing to do is playing basketball outside or reading a nice book. He believes everyone

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last thread kaitlyn williams

Unfortunately, I clearly remember the time the news came to me of my best friend’s death. I was waiting at our usual spot in the forest, which was really a gigantic backyard, and playing with the baseball he gave me. It made me so happy to play with such a simple toy, the joy it brought into my life. He always told me to live life in the moment… those were the days.

As I carefully went over the fallen stitches, the last thread broke apart, leaving the ball exposed with its crazy red hair. I hated the evil madness consuming it’s lovely, white form with it’s deceiving two-faced image. I wanted and tried so badly to fix it’s craziness, to return it to its former self.

Suddenly, cold hand prickled my skin and I looked up to see a face showered in silent sobs. It’s like I had telepathy, because right when I saw their pained face, I knew what happened. Frozen like a statue, my heart slowly fell and broke along the way as well as my baseball.

The funeral was the next day, but it felt like a blurry journey of eternity filled with lethargic and somber movements. I was left for hours wondering why he would leave me to feel so alone and empty. What had I done? I could have comforted him, but the other side of him left me with hope that he was still...him, his former self. The pain, I couldn’t take it anymore, why did he do it? I felt rudely betrayed. As I stood in the sea of black suits speaking under soft murmurs and sobs, I moved languidly towards his room that used to be full of life. As I opened the door, it creaked, letting in a sliver

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of light into the room. The shades were down, shielding the room in darkness, but everything else was exactly like I last saw it. His bedsheets were still unmade and his collection of old baseballs were placed throughout the room. I moved his chair to sit down and was shocked to notice scratches and marks all over his desk. It was a chaotic collage of madness and anger, but there was one unusual thing that stood out...an arrow. I turned my head toward the direction it was pointing to, and spotted a brand new, shiny baseball atop a small, black envelope.

Kaitlyn Williams is a freshman trying to enjoy and succeed in four difficult years of high school. Her greatest achievement maintaining her stellar straight-A grades while dedicating the rest of her free time in running. Aside from running, her favorite thing to do is simply being outdoors and being around people she loves. She believes that passion and dedication are the most crucial key of having a happy and successful life. Katie hopes that she will be a faster runner every day, and to become a successful veterinarian doctor to save as many animal and family lives as she can.

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safe haven nyah willett

Fear smells like rotting flesh that grips you until you surrender in the underworld sea of ghostly dreams. This stench of fear filled my nose as I pressed my back into a corner of my room, gripping my hair in handfuls as I tried not to think about it.

I tried to block out their yells but I couldn’t. They were too loud. The screams that filled the open spaces of this house brought me into the past.

A past of painted pictures of pale colors with torn corners and watermarks, the watermarks distorting the perfect moments into violence.

I whimpered in the corner as his heavy footsteps climbed our stairs and down our hall, my mother’s screaming and cries audible from the lower floor. His voice boomed and it made me jump as fear swirled through my body. I hugged my knees closer to my chest as my body shook with adrenaline and pure terror, my thoughts ran around through my mind telling me that he was gonna get me.

My breathing came out as huffs and puffs before I heard his footsteps descend down the hall and the door slam. Now I had to wait it out, to summon the courage to go out and get myself something to eat so my body could regain its strength to actually get out of this horrid house.

My stomach was empty. It was one in the afternoon when I did finally get out of my room to get some food, when I heard my mother’s sobs coming from the kitchen.

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I gripped the railings that were hinged to the wall, bolted tight so you couldn’t break it and fall.

Even though I was used to it, I still couldn’t stop myself from going into the pale past and remembering all the loud fights. I couldn’t forget it no matter how hard I tried.

Fear still swirled inside my body as my legs slowly made me descend from the upper floor. Terror wasn’t gonna leave my bloodstream now. It’s stayed and tormented me like it usually does when something this bad and horrible happens. I peeked around the corner to see if my mother was alright but she wasn’t in the kitchen. And that planted a different kind of worry in my chest that sprouted thick like a tree in a matter of milliseconds.

My eyes searched around the kitchen to see if she’d stumble out from some sort of...area but she didn’t. I could hear her sobs, but they were now muffled behind some wall.

I had stepped forward as the floorboard creaked beneath my foot. The sobbing stopped. I froze as the floor creaked, groaning as I quickly stepped over the hard surface and stepped into the carpeted area.

I sighed as I had reached the dining area, looked up from the floor just to see my mother huddled in the corner. It broke me to see her in this state.

I went closer to her and kneeled in front of her, gently lifted her chin with my finger and looked into her eyes. I saw broken sadness, fear and worry as she looked right back at me. She didn’t say a word, she didn’t reach out.

She just stared right back into my soul.

“It’s alright mom,” I told her softly. “You’re safe now. I’m here alright?”

Nyah Willett is a young girl who is trying to fly her way through the four years of high school before she’s on her way to another few years of college. Her heart’s been set on living her life in a colorful and creative way, full of art and deep writings stacked in between two hard pieces of wood called books. Novels. She plans on living her life surrounded by her family and her amazing art and deep characters. Nyah’s been planning on putting her writing skills into novels whilst her art is drawn from the story plots of the books. She wants to see her work get written, edited, published, and read. Her dreams fly high into the blue skies that soon will turn into different shades of grey as she goes through her hardships in life.

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a lonely world // sylvie xu // 24

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a lonely world sylvie xu

I can see the crowd from my position in my seat. There’re a lot of people.

They’re all looking at the principal-a middle aged man with a moustache and a beer belly. He’s giving a speech, about us graduating and leaving high school behind. At one point, he even starts tearing up, saying he loves us and will miss us.

But those are all lies.

Seated in a row besides the principal are students, and at the end of the row, is me, student body president, graduating high school at the age of 16, as well as a valedictorian.

I should be proud of myself, but I’m not.

I’m still not good enough, I know I’m not, because he’s not here. In the crowd, I see parents beaming at their children from their seat, with cameras sitting poised in their hands, ready to take as many pictures as possible. Love and pride are written all across their faces, every one of them is practically bouncing in their seats. Yet none of them are looking at me, no cameras are directed at me, nobody is here for me.

In this crowded room, I’m completely alone.

I’ve done everything perfectly, everything I’m supposed to do, if not more, to make him proud. Then why isn’t he here? I can feel the world slowly revolving under my feet, my eyes are burning, I feel as if I’m drown-

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ing and I don’t know how to make it stop. But those aren’t even the worst parts, the worst part is, a little part of me expected all this to happen. All my life, I’ve been alone, he was never there for any of my recitals or award ceremonies. You can’t call someone heartbroken if they’ve never felt love in the first place.

Yet it still hurts.

I feel this hollowness inside my chest and it won’t go away. Some part of me is angry. Angry at the world, angry at the students whose parents are here, and angry at myself for not doing better. Sometimes I think to myself: what if I just don’t exist? Would he be happier? Would I be happier? No matter how hard I try, I couldn’t stop a tear from leaking out the corner of my eye.

It was a tear of pity, for myself.

Silently, I wiped it away and smoothed my features over with a bright smile.

The pain will have to go away for now.

Slowly, I stood up, walked over to the podium, and started delivering my speech- a meaningless speech to a meaningless crowd, because the one person I want to be here with, is nowhere to be found.

Sylvie Xu is a student currently battling high school. Her greatest achievement so far is learning three instruments yet still being incapable of reading music. Her favorite thing to do is to create art. She believes that a person’s actions determines his/her own future, and success is something that requires hard work and dedication. One day she will make her dream come true.

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new school // pasqualle yamakawa // 24 hurts like heaven // christine yang // 24 muddy snow // kai yeung // 22

new school pasqualle yamakawa

Fear sounds like a tsunami. You can hear the roaring of the approaching waves. You can see them as they tower miles above you, but you know that there is ultimately nothing you can do to stop it. Fear does not have a size, yet it is larger than life. Fear is anticipation. It is like when you’re nauseous and you can taste the vomit inching up your throat, but yet you cannot throw up.

Today was a beginning, a clean slate. A new school is like a clean plate fresh from the dishwasher, ridded of all festering bacteria that once occupied it. Simple. Then why did it feel like all my thoughts were colliding in my mind at once? Every time my mind wandered to the possibilities this new school could bring, instead of marveling over the possible prospects and opportunities, it went to the dreaded, the worst case scenarios. If only I had woken up with a terrible flu, something, any excuse to avoid the inevitable. But it was too late. I heard the car screech to a stop and felt myself getting out and walking toward the chain link fences. They surrounded the school in a way that did not feel safe, but imprisoning.

Often the fear leading up to an event is worse the event itself. Fear is when you inconspicuously sniff your armpit and wonder if anyone else can smell the body odor that is clearly radiating from you. Fear is when you shake hands with someone and pray to the sun and moon that they have

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the decency not to immediately wipe their hand on their pants. Fear is dread, anger, sorrow; it is all these conflicting emotions unified in one moment. It comes when when you least expect it and lingers like a shadow, so you’re never truly free of it.

I spotted the door to my first class. It was blue and made of metal that was cold to the touch. This was probably, not due to the uninviting atmosphere, but the temperature. The air was frigid. I tried to focus on the clouds of air coming from my chapped lips as I exhaled the remainder of my body heat. My hand quivered as it reluctantly inched toward the door knob. It was a polished nickel-like color and had the gooey pink remnants of gum smeared across it. I gingerly reached for it, touching as little of the bacteria as possible then abruptly retracted my hand. Instead of opening the door, I reached for my hand sanitizer. It was a small clear plastic cylinder with an orange liquid that stinked of rubbing alcohol, but was intended to smell like “Apricot Blossom.” I squirted a pea-sized portion into my hand and rubbed my hands together slowly, very slowly. I covered my hands and wrists as if I had arthritic fingers. It was as if my hands were covered in angry, red blisters that would pop, erupting with pus, if I moved too quickly.

I did this until I saw a girl approaching. She had curly hair that cascaded down her shoulders in golden ringlets. Her eyes were green, like fresh cut grass that pierced me in her stare. Her arms were crossed across her chest and her face was red and blotchy.

“Excuse me,” she said, breaking the silence in a voice as menacing as her stare. It was high and nasally echoing into the space, “Do you need help with the door?” My face blushed tomato red and I stared at my shoes, battered Converse that were originally white. Now, they blended into the blacktop in an ashy grey. I blushed again and started sweating profusely. I felt it dripping from hairline onto my neck, seeping into my shirt, which was already soaked from my dripping hair. She was talking in the tone people use when directing small children and she stared. She stared harder this time, as if she was dissecting me. It was as if she was making surgen-like incisions and placing my organs, crimson with blood in cooking pots for roasting. Her hand jerked the door open in a sudden movement that made

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me jump. I followed her into to the room. She walked with a confident stride, head high, knowing that she belonged.

“At first, I was grossed out by the door too, but it’s not so bad,” she said, breaking the silence in a different tone. It did not have the touch of malice I was expecting, “I think you are going to like it here” It was as if after months of interpreting gibberish, it all made sense. A greeting, a beginning, not of setbacks, but of opportunity.

Pasqualle Yamakawa is a freshman in Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is having done eleven full years of school. Her favorite thing to do is to read and play fetch with her dog. She believes everyone’s ideas shape the world.

One day she will have a job doing what she loves.

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hurts like heaven christine yang

I am going to die. I’m almost looking forward to it. I’ve always had these types of lovely thoughts in my head as I go through my day. I have around 4 months left to live, and I’ve had better days. Although I was the stereotypical loser in high school, my cancer has caused me to hit rock bottom, causing me to spiral out of control. For the past few months, she started noticing me and eventually, talking to me. I could even go as far as saying we were pretty good friends. She gave me a purpose, a reason to live. I might as well ask her.

I start walking towards the park where I was going to ask her with all my decorations, my poster and my guitar in my hands. I delicately hung up Christmas lights around the lamp posts. The night was almost dark, glimpses of blazing pink streaks across the sky. The multi-colored lights blended in with the setting sun, twinkling and painting a galaxy. It resembled a bit of heaven. The air was brisk, sending shivers and chills up my spine. I set up a cushioned chair in the middle of all the lights. I called my other friends to help me lead her to the park. Along the pathway from her house to the park, I had hung up with pictures of us, all attached to a string.

Each picture described an attribute of her beautiful self. I was buzzing with excitement, and my heart beat out of control.

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In my mind it would go perfectly. I was going to serenade her, smiling at her shocked face. She would have little wrinkles by her eyes from grinning too wide. Her electric blue eyes would sparkle and shine brighter than the lights. Her cheeks would turn a lovely shade of rosey-pink, and she would say yes. She was going to love it. I sat around waiting.

But she never came.

Christine Yang is a student at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is touching Klay Thompson’s shoe. Her favorite thing to do is watch the Warriors and play basketball. She believes in gender equality. One day, she will be a dog sitter with Tori Zielinski and meet the Warriors.

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muddy snow kai yeung

Trudging through dirty snow, Jack pondered what he had done to deserve this icy hell. Argument with parents? No, he hasn’t argued with them for years. Cheating on the Chem 104 Final? Well, the professor did accidently give out the answers online. Not flushing the toilet? Ehh, maybe. But why would he be punished for that?

Jack glanced upward. Through the blithering snow and the harsh rain, he could just barely make out the murky sky that insisted on punishing him.

Ommff.

“Watch where you’re going kid”.

The gruffy man glared at him as he walked passed Jack, now lying face planted on the mush of snow and mud.

I should really ge-...No, it’s not worth it.

Jack laid there, oblivious to all the natural elements slapping him. Snow began cover his legs and his arms and the rain drench through every last article of clothing. It was almost if the rain was cleansing away anything hindering himself, giving him a second chance. A second chance to say sorry, to throw away that naive pride, at love. The snow though, held him back when he was right there. When he could change. Every. Single. Time.

Maybe I’ll let go...Just for a moment. Just one moment…

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As he slowly closed his heavy eyes, he spotted a cookie shop a few meters aheads.

Cookies! Warm, gooey, succulent cookies.

Springing up, Jack ran. He ran for life, for comfort, and for the cookies.

To hell with the debt, the grades, his ex, the broken computer. None of that mattered anymore. Jack craved familiarity. He craved simplicity. Back when life hadn’t caught up with him and he could simply lay on a couch without dark images creeping into his brain.

Ahhh. Ummf.

Hopeless thoughts began to circle his brain as he fell hard onto the concrete. The cookie shop, was just a few inches away, yet it looked so far.

No, I must...press on!

Jack crawled. 1 centimeter. 2 Centimeter. 3 Centimeter.. There.

He had reached the shop. For once, he had fulfilled a goal. As he lay like a frozen stone on the warm carpet, thoughts of paradise seeped into his brain.

Finally.

Warmth.

Kai Yeung is just a simple man with a dream.

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z

math class // yuval zach // 24 school and struggles // scott zhang // 24 copper // tori zielinski // 24 summer class // raymond zhou // 24 the last climb // itamar zohar // 24

math class yuval zach

I was at school, sitting in my Math class. We were taking a test about some algebra subject, too complicated to remember. The entire room was focused, and on task. I heard a phone beep, and somebody giggling quietly. Time seemed to go slowly, with every second passing seeming like a minute. Slowly, more and more of the room turned their test in. Only ten people were still taking it. As the last 5 minutes of class approached, everybody could feel the tension building up in the room. I could hear my neighbour’s vigorous writing on the test paper, and I was pretty sure the rest of the class could too. Almost everyWone was done by this point, and I could feel the stress in the room. I thought to myself what is going on in the person’s brain. Is he stressed? Will he finish the test in time? When the last seconds of class came, he threw his pencil on the paper, and whispered to himself a happy “I’m done!”. Just a few moments later, the bell rang, and I went outside. There, I could feel the contrast of the school to the class: the class was quiet and tense, while the school was loud and free-moving, like a busy train station.

Yuval Zach is a freshman in Homestead High School. His greatest achievement is waking up on time (well, not exactly) on Monday mornings. His favorite thing to do is MMA. He believes that homework is an illness of this world, and needs to be gone, because it consumes way too much time. One day, he’ll be the president of a tech company.

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school and struggles scott zhang

School is like a staircase. It can be old and creaky, or new and glossy, either way, it is up to you to climb up it. It may seem pointless and tedious, but it gets the job done, and once you climb the staircase, you have no idea what you might find. You could find a bright, new, world full of opportunities, or you could find the opposite. Each step in the staircase, is a new step in life, it could be a new grade, a new school, a new job, or graduation.

Sometimes you just have to step back and appreciate the underappreciated, and see the good in school instead of the bad. Sometimes climbing a staircase is a chore, and you might stub your toe, but in the end it is always worth it.

Joey’s mother always told him to stay in school, and despite how much he hated it, he knew that it was for his benefit. He always thought of school as something like broccoli, you shove it down your throat, but you don’t always enjoy it. The thought of dropping out bounced around in his mind endlessly, and his brain told him told him to stay in, because he knew that to be successful he would have to, but his heart told him to drop out, and end the pain.

He had no motivation, his grades were dropping rapidly, his teachers were done with his attitude, and he reached a point where he was tired of turning in half-heartedly done homework sometimes a week after it was

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due. He also knew that despite his mother’s constant encouragement, she was done with his attitude too. He looked over at his dusty textbook, and it seemed to be calling for him. He walked over and slammed it on his desk.

He coughed as the dust flew into his face. He never paid much attention to it, but it seemed like a library full of knowledge that he never thought to tap into until now. He smiled, and at that moment, he knew where he was going with his life.

Scott Zhang is currently a freshman at Homestead High School in California. He enjoys sports, the outdoors, and he believes that hard work pays off. He aspires to go to college at UC Berkeley or UCLA, and wants to become a doctor.

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copper tori zielinski

Fear taste like copper. That is what was always in the back of Coraline’s mind, she accepted it to be true. Copper was a warning to her. This time she had no warning of what was coming. Her mom had always warned her about being out alone at night. Many people in her neighborhood had been arrested for ‘adultery,’ or at least that’s what her mom called it. She knew the truth; it was not adultery. It was rape.

When she realized the sun was going down when she was at the park, she knew she had to go. She never wanted to disobey her mother, especially when it meant putting herself in danger. She was walking home and had around two blocks to go when she smelled alcohol. She thought nothing of it, for she didn’t live on the best side of town and had walked past those kind of people before. That’s when the smell suddenly became overwhelming and she felt hands grab her and push her against the nearest object. And that’s when the copper taste came. One second too late.

Tori Zielinski is a freshman at Homestead High School. Her greatest achievement so far is getting Torrey Mitchell’s hockey stick. Her favorite thing to do is play soccer. She believes in ending sexism in sports. One day she will be a dog sitter with Christine Yang.

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summer class raymond zhou

I remember that fateful early August day, 2 years ago. I was about to take my final for a Chemistry summer class at Foothill College. As my father was making the hour long drive to the College, I was in the backseat of the car, frantically reading off my Chemistry textbook, the waterfall of words entering my vision and being processed in my frontal lobe. I frantically tried to recall every phrase that I had heard my professor say, every tidbit of information that might be on the test. As we near the college drop off zone, I close my textbook and my notes, and resolve myself to my fate, whatever it may be.

As I approach the classroom, I cannot stop myself from shaking. My palms are sweaty, knees weak, and arms heavy. I enter the classroom and sit in my seat, and I glance over at my neighbor, who seems fairly relaxed.

My other neighbor is not so fortunate, and we exchange glances of pity and fear. We quickly break eye contact as the proctor approaches with the exams.

After our professor has distributed the exams, she said “You may now start the exam” in the stereotypical about-to-retire-proctor-who-doesn’tcare monotone. Immediately, the sound of shuffling papers entered my ears. After a few seconds, the room became quiet again, with the occasional cough or scrunched-up expression. I worked at a breakneck pace,

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recalling relevant formulas within 10 seconds of reading the question, and taking maybe another 30 seconds to calculate and record my answer. As I worked, I felt myself calm down, and told myself to just try my best. I deemed that constant worrying about failure would lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in the end.

Before I knew it, my proctor announced the end of the exam. Everyone began passing their papers to the front, and I did so as well, after checking over my answers briefly. I felt ambiguous about the test: while it hadn’t been as difficult as my fear-addled self had thought, it definitely hadn’t been easy points either. As soon as I left the classroom and began discussing the exam with classmates that I would never see again, I immediately realized that I had messed up on a fair portion of the exam. Even on the ride home, I couldn’t shake the thought that, if I failed this exam and didn’t get my desired grade, the past one and a half months of effort would be wasted.

Throughout the next week, I was constantly on edge, and no matter what I did to distract myself, my mind inevitably always went back to that Chemistry exam. Day after day, I witnessed my classmates posting their final grades on social media, most of them laments of despair. Naturally, I also began to worry. What if I, like my peers, also got a score that was “just shy” of what I needed for an A? These fears plagued me until, one evening, I received an email from my professor. Nervously, I opened it, and read, “...

Your final grade in the class was an 87%, or an A-”.

Instead of shouting or crying in happiness, I simply went out for a long walk. The sunset painted the sky a vibrant orange, and the wind that relieved my skin was just in the right amount. I hadn’t felt this free for some time.

Raymond Zhou is a high school senior. His greatest achievement so far is being able to build a computer. His favorite thing to do is to get jacked in the weight room. He believes that college should be made cheaper because he thinks that most students don’t want to incur 100 grand in debt for a piece of rolled up paper and knowledge

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the last climb itomar sohar

I’d never thought I’d reach the day when my old, tired body couldn’t catch up to my young, leaping heart. I’m not going to lie, I was in denial no way, It can’t be that I’m dying - there’s just no way. But deep down, even I knew that my body was giving up on me, after all I was damn near 100 years old. So even when I was told by the doctor not to do anything too overwhelming, I couldn’t help myself.

I decided to go back and climb the mountain I used to climb when I was a kid, running up with my friends every summer on the first day of vacation, and I thought I would just follow the stairs up to the high peak and look out at the wonderful blue sky and the amazing view for maybe the last time. The mountain was bigger than I remembered as a kid; it looked more menacing with the steep climb and wind that howled like the wolves, but I wasn’t going to give up before I even started, so I started my climb. It was hard even with all the energy I thought I could muster up. About halfway through the climb, my legs were already giving up. Breathing had become as if there was a 50 pound weight just pressing into my chest and increasing weight with every step. The journey to the top was putting more and more stress on my body, I fell, I broke, I was on the steps near the top but my body wouldn’t let me. I yelled out in pain, my heart was trying to burst out of my tightened chest. I couldn’t continue, there was nothing driving

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me except seeing the scenery, “Maybe I won’t get to the top,” I thought, but then everything calmed.

The wind cooled, the path was clearer, the birds chirped and I remembered what it really was that made me do this . This was the last special place I had in my life and I wanted to see it one more time before it was my time to leave this world. I got up, the weight not being so heavy, and continued. I was almost done: Ten steps, nine steps, eight steps, seven steps, six step, five steps, four steps, three steps, two steps, one step. One step left and I was at the peak, just one more and my journey was over. The last step that would never come.

Itamar Zohar is a Freshman at Homestead High school. His greatest achievement so far is getting a 4.0 GPA. His favorite thing to do is to just mess around with friends and others. He believes that if you try your hardest to succeed and you put in the time and effort you will succeed. One day he will make his dreams real life.

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“There is no real ending.

It’s just the place where you stop the story.”

-Frank Herbert

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